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Connecting in distance mentoring: communication practices that work
Kathie Lasater1, Patricia K Young2, Claudia G Mitchell3
1Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing, Portland, OR, United States.
Background:
As nursing and healthcare become more global, supported by technology, the opportunities for distance mentoring increase. Mentorship is critical to nurse educator recruitment and retention.
Study Objective:
The purpose of this study was to identify communication practices of nurse educators involved in mentoring at a distance.
Design/Settings:
A qualitative design, utilizing in-person or telephone interviews was used. Participants were twenty-three protégés or mentors who were part of a yearlong distance mentoring program.
Analysis Method:
An iterative process of hermeneutic analysis identified three themes; this paper focuses on the theme of connectedness.
Results:
Participant narratives illuminate practices of connecting at a distance: meeting face-to-face, sharing personal information, experiencing reciprocity, journaling, being vulnerable, establishing one's presence, and appreciating different perspectives.
Conclusion:
Distance does not appear to limit the connecting potential leading to a meaningful mentoring relationship; rather, it offers possibilities that local mentoring relationships may not. Nurse educators in under-resourced countries, those in small programs without a cadre of senior faculty, and students in distance programs are among those who stand to benefit from distance mentoring relationships.
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