Meeting the challenge of mentoring African American nursing faculty: a strategy for professional development

Is mentoring just another bandwagon for African American and minorities to jump on? My personal perspective is that we should examine in more detail and dialogue the notions of self-actualization and affirmation that several authors identified as the essence of mentoring minorities. Then, particular distinctions among concepts such as mentor, master role model, preceptor, "buddy," or whatever might be seen as variations on the main theme of personal and professional self-actualization. Given what it may accomplish, appropriate mentoring for the African American nursing faculty neophyte is a challenge for the nursing profession and a strategy for institutional advancement in the twenty first century.