New Brunswick: development of a Web-based orientation program and enhancing senior nurses' mentoring skills

This project to help new nurse recruits integrate into the hospital work environment had two components: the development of a new web-based orientation tool in French for new recruits and mentor training for more experienced nurses. The aim of the first component was to redesign delivery of the nursing orientation program by assessing individual needs of new recruits and developing "just in time" information sessions with online access and e-learning modules. The second component aimed to develop a voluntary mentorship training program for senior nurses that offered training on the role and responsibility of mentors. A total of 30 orientation modules were created as resources that could be adapted to the needs of each nursing unit and accessed online. Sixty nurse recruits used the programs. A mentor training program was developed, and 28 nurses were trained as mentors. The mentorship literature and guides, produced in French, will be a valuable resource for francophone nurses across Canada.