Virtual Mentoring Program within an Online Doctoral Nursing Education Program: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of doctoral nursing education students who participated in a virtual mentoring program. A phenomenological design was used to enable the researchers to gain an understanding of the research phenomenon. The three patterns that emerged during the study were Confirmation of Mentoring, Building Communities, and Learning the Role of Doctoral Student. Under the pattern of Confirmation of Mentoring were the themes of Receiving Academic Support and Receiving Personal Support. Under the pattern of Building Communities were the themes of Getting to Know Mentors and Understanding the Importance of Relationships. Under the pattern of Learning of Role of Doctoral Student were the themes of Balancing Time and Learning Technology. Additional research is needed to more fully explore virtual mentoring within doctoral programs.