Creating a mentoring culture to connect and empower new ICPs, part one

This article discusses how to empower new ICPs by creating a mentoring culture. A brief history of mentoring is provided along with rationale for why mentoring is so critical in today's healthcare environment. Mentorship is contrasted and compared with preceptorship and coaching to elucidate those elements that are distinct to mentoring. The characteristics of an effective mentor, benefits of mentoring and phases of a mentoring relationship are described. Finally, the potential flashpoints that can occur in a mentoring relationship are reviewed. In the current healthcare environment, the growth and development of infection prevention and control professionals (ICPs) is essential to maintain quality outcomes. As provincial governments move to mandatory reporting of patient indicators there will be an increased demand for these professionals at a time when supply is dwindling. While recruitment into the profession is important, retaining experienced ICPs is also an issue. The purpose of this article is to discuss why mentoring in infection prevention and control (IPAC) matters, to identify what mentoring is and is not, and to present information on empowering staff through mentoring relationships.