Mentorship Impact for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and Physician Assistants/Physician Associates

To provide insights into Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) and Physician Assistants/Physician Associates (PAs) mentorship for both professional and personal satisfaction in mentee-mentor relationships.

A survey was sent via email to all APRNs and PAs at a single academic medical center. The univariable analysis included chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests to compare those with and without a mentor. The multivariable analysis determined if any selected factors were independent predictors of factors associated with mentorship.

The response rate was 32.4% (n = 934), and 185 (19.8%) respondents identify having a mentor. Multivariable analysis shows those with a mentor were more likely to function as a mentor (OR 1.8 [1.2-2.7], p = 0.003), have an academic rank of assistant professor or higher (OR 2.9 [1.7-4.9], p = 0.001), be <45 years old (OR 2.6 [1.6-4.2], p<0.001), and be <10 years into their career (OR 1.8 [1.2-2.8], p = 0.006). Those with a mentor were more likely to be satisfied with mentorship (84.3% vs 25.1%, p < 0.001) and agree mentorship was important for academic success (80.5% vs 7.3%, p < 0.001) and attaining leadership positions (69.7% vs 48.2%, p < 0.001).

This study demonstrates that mentorship for APRNs and PAs is notable and can affect academic and career satisfaction. Future research may explore more profound organizational and professional benefits of mentorship among APRNs and PA.