TL9c
Visibility, Accessibility, and Communication TL9
Provide one example, with supporting evidence, of an individual mentoring plan or an established mentoring program for Nurse AVPs/Nurse Director(s).
Example c: Clinical Director of Nursing Mentoring Plan
Nurse Director Mentoring Plan
At Catholic Health Initiative’s (CHI) St. Vincent Hot Springs (SVHS), Renee Fechuch MSN, RN, Clinical Director of Nursing, was promoted in April 2022. Fechuch began her career at CHI SVHS in 1998 as a patient care tech (PCT) in the emergency department (ED). Fechuch went on to complete her associate degree in nursing in 2002.
Fechuch remained in the ED where she started as a clinical nurse and served as a charge nurse for about 16 years. Fechuch obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2017. Fechuch was then promoted to nursing supervisor. Fechuch remained in that role for six years. She obtained her Master of Science in Nursing in 2020. Fechuch was promoted to clinical director of nursing, overseeing the ED, critical care areas, and three hospital-based clinics in April 2022.
Although Fechuch has been at CHI SVHS for about 24 years, Fechuch was a novice in her new role as clinical director of nursing. Teresa Lambert, MBA, BSN, RN, Vice President of Patient Care Services, Assistant Chief Nursing Officer (role of CNO), agreed to mentor Fechuch as she grew into the clinical director of nursing role.
A mentor is defined as “an experienced nurse who has developed expertise and can be a strong force in shaping a nurse’s identity as a professional” (Anthony, 2006, p.73). Lambert had great experiences through mentorship in her nursing career and wanted to offer that to Fechuch. Fechuch agreed and was appreciative of this offer to help mold her in this new role.
Lambert and Fechuch’s mentor meetings began immediately when Fechuch assumed the role of nursing director. The initial meeting in April 2022 was a broad overview in how to conduct oneself as a leader along with advice to building relationships with other leaders.
Lambert offered different experiences she had that stood out over her career, like how to communicate with difficult physicians or other leaders who can be challenging. Monthly mentoring meetings were held for the first several months and then moved to every two to four months. (Evidence TL9c-1, Fechuch Mentoring Plan)
Mentee-Mentor Relationship and Interactions
In May 2022, Fechuch sought out her mentor Lambert for advice on issues with the ED medical director. Lambert provided guidance and advice on how to approach this individual and share her (Fechuch’s) concerns in a manner, which is crucial to team building and the success of the ED. Lambert also advised the importance of monthly meetings with the medical director to continue a positive working relationship. (Evidence TL9c-2, Mentor Meeting May 2022)
In June 2022, during a mentor session, Fechuch shared with Lambert a few struggles she was having that came along with going from peer to supervisor. Again, Lambert advised the importance of building new working relationships and what that looks like. Fechuch was looking to implement new ideas in the ED but was meeting resistance from some coworkers. Lambert advised including the coworkers and helping them to understand and implement what she wanted to do.
Lambert explained that it is okay to not get everything done at once and even okay to fail, but letting the staff participate would go far in gaining their trust and acceptance of the changes Fechuch wanted to implement. The support Lambert showed Fechuch by saying it is okay to fail allowed Fechuch to take a step back and regroup on her approach. (Evidence TL9c-3, Mentor Meeting June 2022)
July 2022 was a whirlwind for Fechuch that included learning a new role and learning staffing grids for her areas. Lambert mentored Fechuch and set up extra time to do a deeper dive to ensure her understanding. Lambert made Fechuch aware that she was not alone in this struggle and to not beat herself up for not understanding, that it would come in time. Lambert also offered Fechuch support in their July meeting on leadership through providing her with books from the Studer Group on leadership.
An August 2022 meeting with Lambert and Fechuch offered its own challenges. Fechuch had her first employee issue that required human resources (HR) involvement. Lambert mentored Fechuch as she had to stand firm with the employee while also offering guidance and feedback on what went well and what Fechuch could have done differently moving forward to allow the process to be smoother.
For the September 2022 meeting, Lambert mentored Fechuch after she wrote an SBAR for a capital expense request. Lambert offered advice to Fechuch on different strategies to strengthen the SBAR request. Fechuch had written an SBAR in the past, but a capital expense SBAR needed a lot more detail.
In October 2022, Lambert requested Fechuch attend the Magnet Conference in Philadelphia. Lambert explained this would be an excellent professional development opportunity for Fechuch. Fechuch had not flown since she was a child, and she had some initial hesitancy to take advantage of the opportunity being offered to her. Lambert took the time to talk to Fechuch at length about her concerns related to traveling.
As Fechuch’s mentor, Lambert offered advice on her own travel techniques. Based on the advice and support provided by Lambert, Fechuch attended the conference and had an amazing experience and brought information back with her on the 4 Cs (contact, comprehensiveness, coordination, and continuity) and implemented it in the CHI SVHS ED.
Fechuch continued to grow professionally in her nursing director role. Lambert mentored Fechuch in how to appear more receptive to change. Lambert mentored Fechuch with ways to handle not agreeing with change with techniques like active listening and communicating professionally in all situations.
Fechuch sought mentorship from Lambert in 2023 with her first experience with the budgets for her areas. Fechuch felt overwhelmed with new information, but Lambert allowed her to know she was not alone in the process and provided guidance and experience on how to complete the budgeting process.
In July 2023, Fechuch sought guidance after a conflict that transpired with a local ambulance service. Lambert offered advice on dealing with the situation and support to intervene if needed. (Evidence TL9c-4, Mentor Meeting July 2023)
In October 2023, Fechuch accompanied Lambert to a sister hospital in Houston, Texas to gain knowledge of their process and gain information about their ED throughput and patient experience. This was a valuable time spent for Fechuch as a new leader. (Evidence TL9c-5, Mentor Meeting Oct 2023)
Lambert taking the time to mentor Fechuch in her role as a new clinical nurse director has allowed Fechuch to grow successfully in the role. Lambert and Fechuch continue to have meetings, dedicated exclusively to the mentor-mentee relationship, every two to four months for Lambert to mentor Fechuch as she continues to grow in her clinical director of nursing role.