Connecting: perceptions of becoming a faculty mentor.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Higher Education Pedagogy

Background:

• Innovative group-mentoring courses support undergraduate nursing students.
• Faculty facilitate process-oriented groups, a departure from content-driven courses.
• The faculty role as group mentor is perceived as challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore faculty members' perceptions of their role as group mentors.
• To understand the challenges and experiences associated with facilitating process-oriented mentoring groups.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving eight faculty participants.
• Audio-taped interviews guided by open-ended questions.
• Thematic analysis to identify key perceptions.

Main Results:

• Four emergent themes: uncertainty, evolution, mutuality, and milieu.
• Faculty experienced initial uncertainty in the unstructured group facilitation.
• The mentoring role evolved, fostering mutual relationships and a supportive group environment.

Conclusions:

• Faculty perceptions of group mentoring evolve over time.
• The faculty role as group mentor presents unique challenges and rewards.
• Understanding faculty experiences is crucial for optimizing mentoring programs in nursing education.