Project Description:

Overview

The aim of The Mentoring Project was to increase professional development opportunities and strengthen connections among nurses to increase job satisfaction, improve retention, and promote lifelong learning. Expert nurses engaged with novice nurses to progress through modules at their own pace based on novice nurses’ identified needs. First called the Create Nurses Connect project, it was renamed to reduce confusion with other projects within the state.

Summary of completed project

The Michigan Action Coalition created a networking platform (The Mentoring Project) and developed 21 e-learning modules on various topics related to nurse resiliency and retention including topics such as leadership, time management, identifying personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats , goal setting, compassion, acceptance, and gratitude, among other topics. The Mentoring Project uses the ACEMAPP system, a secure online clinical education and placement system developed by the Michigan Health Council (MHC). The mentors and mentees who participated in the project also had access to social determinants of health e-learning modules through the ACEMAPP library. The MHC continues to build the ACEMAPP library and participants in the Mentoring Project have access to a growing repository of relevant materials to develop professionally and to support their careers in health care.

Outcomes

The Mentoring Project reached 50+ individual nurses and connected with multiple chief nursing officers. Additionally, a health system expressed interest in making the Mentoring Project part of their nurse residency program once the first test group of nurses completes the program in the summer of 2020. The Action Coalition initially partnered with the Michigan Health &Hospital Association to connect with hospitals and exhibited at the “2018 Nursing Summit” to solicit interest from nursing schools and health systems. These connections are forming the foundation for the program going forward. The Mentoring Project remains part of the MHC’s offerings and continues to be part of its ongoing workforce mission.