Inspire the Next Generation as a Mentor
Robin had Batman, and Watson had Holmes, but who can the next
generation of nurses look up to? For most nurses, the answer is right
in front of them: Their managers, coworkers and friends.
Whether it occurs formally in a classroom or seminar, or informally
over a cup of coffee, mentoring enriches both the senior staffer and
the healthcare novice. Mentoring builds bridges, improves
communication, unleashes creativity, reduces frustration, and enhances
patient care and caregiver career opportunities.
"There are enough role models out there, but I don't think people see
how important it is," says Cindy Balkstra, RN, C, MS, a pulmonary
clinical nurse specialist at St. Joseph's/Candler Health System in
Savannah, Georgia. Balkstra believes nurses need to rely on each other
for personal and professional development.
To expand her professional and leadership skills, Balkstra
participated in the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau
International's Chiron Mentoring Program in 2001. Working with her
mentor, Dr. Marianne Matzo, Balkstra developed end-of-life directives
for pulmonary patients ...
(Provided by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.
Originally published in Excellence, Second Quarter 2002.
For more information, you may visit them at www.nursingsociety.org)
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Efforts to Solve the Critical Nursing Shortage
“Why are people admitted into the hospital?” That was a question I was asked recently and thought I knew how to answer it. You can imagine the gambit of answers that I ticked off. Of course, the answers were that the person is sick, they need the care of their doctor or they're having a procedure. I was shocked to find out that someone, a nurse at that, disagreed with all of my answers. Then it was pointed out to me that the one common element that binds all admitted hospital patients is the need for nursing care. In today's healthcare environment, a person doesn't have to be admitted into a hospital unless that person needs the concentrated care of a nurse.
However, the profession is in acute crisis today because of a shortage of nurses that researchers say is only going to become chronic unless drastic measures are taken ...
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