The experiences of mentors on a career development and mentoring programme for female mental health nurses in the UK National Health Service

Abstract

This paper presents the experiences of executive and non-executive UK National Health Service (NHS) Trust directors and senior managers as mentors in a career development and mentoring programme for a cohort of 27 female mental health nurses from six NHS mental health trusts. Baseline interview data was collated from 27 mentors prior to the programme. Twenty-four mentors participated in semi-structured telephone interviews investigating their experiences of being a mentor at the end of the programme. The interview transcripts were analysed using thematic content analysis. Experience as a mentor impacted on mentors in a variety of ways and the common themes which emerged from the data included: increased understanding of the mentoring role, increased awareness of career barriers for female mental health nurses, improved ground-level insight in relation to nursing staff and the patients they care for, improved professional reputation, increased networks, new insights into organizational issues, personal enjoyment and fulfilment and desire to implement organizational change. All mentors interviewed stated that they would consider becoming a mentor again. The mentoring relationship was an invaluable learning experience for mentors and results from this study suggested that trained mentors have an important role to play as change agents in the NHS.