Finding a Mentor in Healthcare: Why, When and How to Ask

Mentors are often characters associated with heroic tales — they are wise guides who help a hero navigate their challenges with their lived experience and inner wisdom. For many kids who grew up in the 80s and 90s, characters like Master Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reminded us that it takes more than superpowers to be a true hero.

Mentors are much more than fictional characters; they’re a great way to get the most out of your desired career path. If you’re getting started in healthcare, looking for someone you not only admire as a professional, but is also a good teacher, such as someone with an MSN in nursing education, can be a great way to set yourself on a path to success.

Getting started on the mentorship journey can seem complicated for someone just starting in healthcare. Let’s explore the world of mentoring — the why, when, and how to find a mentor who will best support your career goals.

What is a mentor?

Think of a mentor as someone who can guide you on your career pathway. Typically, a mentor is a more experienced staff member who volunteers some time and energy to support newer colleagues.

Mentors come from all walks of life — they might be experienced healthcare professionals, lecturers at college, or perhaps even a trusted family friend who once followed the same career path as you. Mentors are as diverse and different as the mentees they help to develop.

The most common type of mentoring is peer mentoring, which involves learning from the more experienced staff members’ experiences and perspectives. Many workplaces and organisations offer mentorship programs for people at different stages of their life.

Why should I have a mentor?

Mentorship can be beneficial for those who take advantage of it. There are many different ways that mentorship can benefit you both personally and professionally — from how you conduct yourself at work to the strategies that you can take when things aren’t going your way.

Think of a mentor like a teacher, someone who knows their field, may share some of the experiences and perspectives that you have about that field, and has the wisdom to share what they’ve learned with you. The best part is that mentoring often only costs as much as a cup of coffee.

Research across multiple disciplines has found mentoring to be a highly effective way of driving positive outcomes among mentees. Mentoring can benefit mentees, develop lasting relationships in the workplace, and help contribute to a positive work environment.

When should I be mentored?

The best part about mentorship is that it has no age or experience limits. Mentoring can benefit different healthcare professionals in different stages of their career journey, often to great success.

Consider this: a graduate nurse may benefit from being mentored by a senior nurse who’s been working in the field for a few years. Senior nurses could potentially benefit from the mentorship of a nursing lead if they choose to pursue a leadership role or a specialized nursing field.

Leading nurses, in turn, may benefit from the mentorship of retired colleagues or even hospital administrators. If you’re unsure where to start, it might be worth chatting to colleagues to see what sort of mentoring they may have undertaken.

Approaching mentors respectfully

Work can often be a busy place,  and naturally, people are busy. Finding the right way to approach a mentor is essential, after all, you don’t want to start a prospective mentoring relationship on the wrong foot.

If you approach a potential mentor on your own, you should remember three key things:

Firstly, be genuine. Be honest about what you’re looking for and how you think mentorship can benefit both yourself and the mentor.

Secondly, offer to take them out for a coffee and a chat. A mentoring relationship doesn’t have to be an office-led discussion; it can be a casual conversation about what works and what doesn’t at a local coffee shop.

Finally, don’t feel you have to ask someone to be a mentor immediately, meet-and-greet sessions are a great way to meet new people at work. Don’t feel you have to commit after one conversation, meet with someone a few times before you make up your mind.

Becoming a mentor

If you feel you’re an experienced professional who can give back to your less experienced peers, it might be worth considering becoming a mentor. It’s often understated how beneficial mentoring can be for mentors. Mentoring can help develop your leadership, communication, and relationship building skills.

So, now you know a little bit more about how helpful mentoring can be, perhaps it’s time to find a mentor. Eventually, you might consider becoming a mentor yourself.

At the end of the day, if there’s just one thing you’ve taken from this article, let it be the idea that mentors are more than cartoon characters, they’re truly an idea that can carry us to greater heights, from where we are today. Remember, we all started being mentored somewhere in some way, didn’t we?