Cultivating Resilience Through Mentorship: Autoethnographic Perspectives of Minority Nursing Faculty
Abstract
Mentorship is central to cultivating resilience and leadership in nursing academia, yet its impact is shaped by lived experience (Akanegbu & Iheduru Anderson, 2022). Minority nursing faculty often navigate unique stressors, and mentors who share affinity with their experiences can play a critical role in fostering support and professional growth (Calvert et al., 2025; Johnson et al., 2023). This study employs collaborative autoethnographic methods, grounded in Black feminist thought and intersectionality, to examine how minority nursing faculty perceive and enact their roles as mentors in higher education (Crenshaw, 1991). By foregrounding lived experience, relational accountability, and voice as valid forms of scholarly knowledge, the study highlights mentorship as a pathway to resilience, faculty development, and leadership cultivation. Reflective narratives underscore mentorship as a culturally responsive, identity driven, and values based practice that advances individual career trajectories while fostering institutional transformation (Iheduru Anderson et al., 2025). Centering these voices provides evidence based insights and strategies to strengthen mentorship models, ultimately advancing nursing scholarship and preparing resilient leaders for the profession
Notes
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References:
1. Akanegbu, C. O., & Iheduru-Anderson, K. (2022). Formal mentoring in nursing education: A literature review. The Association of Black
Faculty Foundation Journal, 1(1), 23-28. https://abnf.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ABNFF-Journal-June-2022.pdf
2. Calvert, W. J., Adeola, M., Isaac-Savage, E. P., & Keller, J. (2025). Black nursing faculty: Overcoming challenges on the road to earning
tenure and promotion. Journal of Professional Nursing, 57, 92–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2025.01.009
3. Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299.
4. Iheduru-Anderson, K. C., Alexander, K. E., Mathews, N., Ugorji, J. U., Ramdin, V. A., Akanegbu, C., McCoy, K., McCamrey, D., Okoro, F.,
Calvert, W. J., & Webber-Ritchey, K. J. (2025). From bedside to classroom: An autoethnography of the mentoring experiences of BIPOC
nurse faculty from transition to tenure and promotion. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 12, 23333936251369439.
https://doi.org/10.1177/23333936251369439
5. Johnson, V., Ramdin, V. A., Webber-Richey, K. J., Iheduru-Anderson, K., Ford, C. D., Alexander, K., White-Evans, S., Okoro, F., Whitaker-
Brown, C., Broome, B., Fletcher, A. (2023). Mentoring Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) nursing faculty toward leadership
excellence: A concept analysis with historical research. Association of Black Nursing Faculty Foundation Journal, 2(1), 33-55. https://www.abnf.net/staging-091724/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ABNFF-Journal-April-2023.pdf
Sigma Membership
Gamma Iota
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Ethnography
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Mentoring and Coaching, Faculty Development, DEI/BIPOC, Resilience, Hardiness, Nursing Faculty, Faculty Role, Nursing Education, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
Recommended Citation
McCoy, Katryna; Okoro, Florence; Ugorji, Julia U.; Akanegbu, Christiana; Alexander, Karen E.; Calvert, Wilma J.; Mathews, Nisha; McCamey, Danielle; Iheduru-Anderson, Kechinyere C.; and Webber-Ritchey, Kashica J., "Cultivating Resilience Through Mentorship: Autoethnographic Perspectives of Minority Nursing Faculty" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 243.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/243
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
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Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-08-29
Cultivating Resilience Through Mentorship: Autoethnographic Perspectives of Minority Nursing Faculty
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Mentorship is central to cultivating resilience and leadership in nursing academia, yet its impact is shaped by lived experience (Akanegbu & Iheduru Anderson, 2022). Minority nursing faculty often navigate unique stressors, and mentors who share affinity with their experiences can play a critical role in fostering support and professional growth (Calvert et al., 2025; Johnson et al., 2023). This study employs collaborative autoethnographic methods, grounded in Black feminist thought and intersectionality, to examine how minority nursing faculty perceive and enact their roles as mentors in higher education (Crenshaw, 1991). By foregrounding lived experience, relational accountability, and voice as valid forms of scholarly knowledge, the study highlights mentorship as a pathway to resilience, faculty development, and leadership cultivation. Reflective narratives underscore mentorship as a culturally responsive, identity driven, and values based practice that advances individual career trajectories while fostering institutional transformation (Iheduru Anderson et al., 2025). Centering these voices provides evidence based insights and strategies to strengthen mentorship models, ultimately advancing nursing scholarship and preparing resilient leaders for the profession
Description
This presentation draws on autoethnographic narratives from minority nursing faculty to illuminate how mentorship practices serve as a foundation for resilience professional growth, faculty development, and leadership cultivation among URM nursing faculty. By centering these voices, this research presents a compelling vision for inclusive academic environments where mentorship offers personal insights and evidence based strategies to strengthen mentorship models that prepare nursing leaders.