Abstract
Background: ______ ______ University embraces a caring-based philosophy, which frames both our curriculum and our faculty way-of-being. Our School of Nursing has grown rapidly in recent years, adding more faculty to meet the needs of greater numbers of students. The faculty mentoring program has also expanded and developed into three phases: (1) Onboarding (belonging), (2) Mentorship (competency), and (3) Sponsorship (empowerment).
Purpose: This presentation will describe components and activities of the Three-Pronged Mentorship Model, and summarize evaluation data from our first year, ranging from August 2023 to December 2024.
Influence of Caring Theory: The mentoring program is aligned with Watson’s Caritas Processes. For example, Caritas #7 states, ”Engage in genuine teaching-learning experience” (Watson, 2008, p. 125). The related mentoring program goal is “assist new faculty in finding the best solutions, options, and strategies to address and solve issues and needs."
Phase 1: Onboarding
In the onboarding of new full-time faculty, we aim to create a sense of belonging among the faculty. All current faculty are viewed as acculturation or acclimation coaches for those who are new. A key role is played by the Pre-licensure Director, who sets up the initial orientation of new faculty and oversees the mentoring program. The Director meets with each new faculty before classes begin to orient to the School of Nursing as well as the campus community. Experienced faculty are assigned to serve as mentors for new faculty over the first year.
Phase 2: Mentorship
The goal of the mentor-mentee relationship is to help the new faculty develop competency in the faculty role. Mentors and mentees meet at least monthly to review and reflect on faculty activities. Mentees meet monthly for both support and educational purposes. Mentors meet 1-2 times a semester with the Associate Dean. Evaluation data focusing on mentor and mentees perceptions during this phase is collected by surveys.
Phase 3: Sponsorship
The purpose of the Sponsorship phase is to empower new faculty in their academic roles. New faculty may select a sponsor who will support their development as nursing educators and members of the university community during years two and three. They are free to stay with their current mentor or to change mentors. As their goals change, they may desire to focus on scholarship or expand their teaching in a specific area. Personal and professional needs guide these decisions.
Notes
References:
Busby, K. R. , Draucker, C. B., & Reising, D. L (2023). Mentoring-as-partnership: The meaning of mentoring among novice nurse faculty. Journal of Nursing Education, 62(2), 83-88. doi:10.3928/01484834-20221213-03
Hills, M., Watson, J., & Cara, C. (2021). Creating a caring science curriculum (2nd ed.). Springer Publishing. doi:10.1891/9780826136039
Lambert, K., Dorris, D. & Williams, A. (20240. The effects of structured mentorship and onboarding of novice nursing faculty. Journal of Nursing Education, 63(6), 405-408. doi:10.3928/01484834-20240404-09
Sandiford, D., Birnbaum, S. & Thomas-Hawkins, C. (2024). Mentoring experiences of new nontenured faculty in undergraduate nursing: A qualitative study. Journal of Nursing Education, 63(8), 525-532. doi:10.3928/01484834-20240503-01
Watson, J. (2008). Nursing: The philosophy and science of caring (Revised ed.). University Press of Colorado.
Sigma Membership
Zeta Kappa at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Coaching, Faculty Development, Competence
Recommended Citation
Coffman, Sherrilyn D. and Taylor, Dawn, "Three-Pronged Mentorship Model" (2025). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 61.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2025/presentations_2025/61
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Three-Pronged Mentorship Model
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Background: ______ ______ University embraces a caring-based philosophy, which frames both our curriculum and our faculty way-of-being. Our School of Nursing has grown rapidly in recent years, adding more faculty to meet the needs of greater numbers of students. The faculty mentoring program has also expanded and developed into three phases: (1) Onboarding (belonging), (2) Mentorship (competency), and (3) Sponsorship (empowerment).
Purpose: This presentation will describe components and activities of the Three-Pronged Mentorship Model, and summarize evaluation data from our first year, ranging from August 2023 to December 2024.
Influence of Caring Theory: The mentoring program is aligned with Watson’s Caritas Processes. For example, Caritas #7 states, ”Engage in genuine teaching-learning experience” (Watson, 2008, p. 125). The related mentoring program goal is “assist new faculty in finding the best solutions, options, and strategies to address and solve issues and needs."
Phase 1: Onboarding
In the onboarding of new full-time faculty, we aim to create a sense of belonging among the faculty. All current faculty are viewed as acculturation or acclimation coaches for those who are new. A key role is played by the Pre-licensure Director, who sets up the initial orientation of new faculty and oversees the mentoring program. The Director meets with each new faculty before classes begin to orient to the School of Nursing as well as the campus community. Experienced faculty are assigned to serve as mentors for new faculty over the first year.
Phase 2: Mentorship
The goal of the mentor-mentee relationship is to help the new faculty develop competency in the faculty role. Mentors and mentees meet at least monthly to review and reflect on faculty activities. Mentees meet monthly for both support and educational purposes. Mentors meet 1-2 times a semester with the Associate Dean. Evaluation data focusing on mentor and mentees perceptions during this phase is collected by surveys.
Phase 3: Sponsorship
The purpose of the Sponsorship phase is to empower new faculty in their academic roles. New faculty may select a sponsor who will support their development as nursing educators and members of the university community during years two and three. They are free to stay with their current mentor or to change mentors. As their goals change, they may desire to focus on scholarship or expand their teaching in a specific area. Personal and professional needs guide these decisions.
Description
This presentation describes a three-pronged model for mentoring new faculty in our school of nursing. The three phases include (a) onboarding (belonging), (b) mentorship (competency), and (c) sponsorship (empowerment). Both our nursing curriculum and the mentoring program are tied to Watson's Caring Theory.