Abstract
Background: Rising patient acuity and workload have led to an exodus of nurses from the bedside and heightened stress for graduate nurses (Krofft et al., 2021; Shah et al., 2021). It is imperative that academic and clinical educators work to mitigate stress and burnout for nursing students and graduate nurses assuming nursing roles. Mentorship programs can improve confidence, reducing stress, but their impact on reducing burnout is less understood (Yukawa et al., 2020).
Purpose: This project explored feasibility, acceptability and burnout in a multi-faceted mentorship program to support undergraduate/graduate nursing students and graduate nurses.
Methods: In a university in the MidAtlantic United States, undergraduate/graduate nursing students, graduate nurses and experienced nurses were recruited via Sigma. Mentors and mentees were matched by mentee goals and mentor education and career experience. Mentor and mentee toolkits and a lecture series were provided help participants develop the relationship.
Feasibility, acceptability and satisfaction were evaluated at 3, 6, 9, and 12-months. Mentee satisfaction with the mentor was evaluated via the Mentorship Evaluation Tool-13 (Yukawa et al., 2020). Burnout was measured at baseline, 6 and 12-months via the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel (National Academy of Medicine, 2021).
Results: 17 mentors and 19 mentees participated. Mentors were predominantly Caucasian (88%), female (76%), ≥ 36 years old (71%), and in the nursing workforce > 10 years (71%). Most mentees were Caucasian (84%) females (89%). 53% were undergraduate nursing students and 56% were 18-25 years old.
Mentors and mentees were consistently satisfied with the dyad. Most mentees met monthly with their mentors (63-83%), felt meeting time was adequate (83-100%) and used videoconferencing (65%). Significant (p< 0.001) reductions in burnout were seen in mentors from baseline (M=58.15, SD=24.76) to 6 (M=51.50, SD=16.96) and 12 months (M=39.83, SD=13.73). Mentee burnout significantly decreased from baseline (M=56.20, SD=14.66) to 6 (M=51.75, SD=15.71) and 12 months (M=43.83, SD=16.98).
Implications for Practice: The program was feasible, acceptable and correlated with decreased burnout. Mentors and mentees reported personal and professional benefits from program participation. The range of settings and participants suggests this program can be implemented across diverse settings and populations.
Notes
Reference list included in attached slide deck.
Sigma Membership
Eta
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Mentoring and Coaching, Transition to Practice, Onboarding, Academic-clinical Partnerships, Nursing Students, Graduate Nurses, Burnout
Recommended Citation
Harlan, Melissa Dawn; Ren, Dianxu; Perpetua, Zachary; Hudack, Christoph Emery; Yen, Alissa; Skrovanek, Elizabeth; O'Loughlin, Valerie; Torgerson, Salina; and Sherwood, Paula, "Feasibility, Acceptability and Burnout in a Mentorship Program for Students and Graduate Nurses" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 70.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/presentations_2025/70
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, 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. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-11-20
Funder(s)
University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing Distinguished Clinical Scholar Award, Sigma Theta Tau International. Sigma Eta Chapter
Feasibility, Acceptability and Burnout in a Mentorship Program for Students and Graduate Nurses
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Background: Rising patient acuity and workload have led to an exodus of nurses from the bedside and heightened stress for graduate nurses (Krofft et al., 2021; Shah et al., 2021). It is imperative that academic and clinical educators work to mitigate stress and burnout for nursing students and graduate nurses assuming nursing roles. Mentorship programs can improve confidence, reducing stress, but their impact on reducing burnout is less understood (Yukawa et al., 2020).
Purpose: This project explored feasibility, acceptability and burnout in a multi-faceted mentorship program to support undergraduate/graduate nursing students and graduate nurses.
Methods: In a university in the MidAtlantic United States, undergraduate/graduate nursing students, graduate nurses and experienced nurses were recruited via Sigma. Mentors and mentees were matched by mentee goals and mentor education and career experience. Mentor and mentee toolkits and a lecture series were provided help participants develop the relationship.
Feasibility, acceptability and satisfaction were evaluated at 3, 6, 9, and 12-months. Mentee satisfaction with the mentor was evaluated via the Mentorship Evaluation Tool-13 (Yukawa et al., 2020). Burnout was measured at baseline, 6 and 12-months via the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel (National Academy of Medicine, 2021).
Results: 17 mentors and 19 mentees participated. Mentors were predominantly Caucasian (88%), female (76%), ≥ 36 years old (71%), and in the nursing workforce > 10 years (71%). Most mentees were Caucasian (84%) females (89%). 53% were undergraduate nursing students and 56% were 18-25 years old.
Mentors and mentees were consistently satisfied with the dyad. Most mentees met monthly with their mentors (63-83%), felt meeting time was adequate (83-100%) and used videoconferencing (65%). Significant (p< 0.001) reductions in burnout were seen in mentors from baseline (M=58.15, SD=24.76) to 6 (M=51.50, SD=16.96) and 12 months (M=39.83, SD=13.73). Mentee burnout significantly decreased from baseline (M=56.20, SD=14.66) to 6 (M=51.75, SD=15.71) and 12 months (M=43.83, SD=16.98).
Implications for Practice: The program was feasible, acceptable and correlated with decreased burnout. Mentors and mentees reported personal and professional benefits from program participation. The range of settings and participants suggests this program can be implemented across diverse settings and populations.
Description
Mentorship programs are an established way to mitigate stress but their impact on burnout is not well known. This project explored feasibility, acceptability and burnout in a multifaceted mentorship program for nursing students, and graduate and experienced nurses practicing in academic and clinical settings. Mentors/mentees responded positively about program feasibility, were highly satisfied with the mentorship dyad and had a significant reduction in burnout 6 and 12 months after joining.