A successful online mentoring program for nurses

Aim: This article describes the successful implementation of An Online Mentoring Program for Nurses at a Magnet-designated acute care medical center, Morristown Memorial Hospital (MMH/Atlantic Health). Background: A comprehensive approach to incorporating mentor-protegee teams into professional nurse role development has been demonstrated to (1) improve nurse employee satisfaction, retention, and recruitment outcomes; (2) change the ways nurses and others perceive nurses; (3) augment support by managers and coworkers; and (4) improve patient care outcomes. Evaluation: Nurses are partnered in mentor-protegee relationships and continually engage one another by evaluating the protégée's unique contributions and identifying specific strategic actions to move the protégée toward accomplishing their professional objectives. Key Issues: Building an online mentor- protégée collaboration: (1) maximizing potential, (2) identifying the protégée's unique contributions, and (3) strategic planning. Conclusions: The online mentoring process is a success and has delivered measurable results that have benefited the nurse participants and contributed to our institution's culture of nursing engagement. Implications for Nursing Management: The online mentoring process has potential to benefit nurses and their organizations by (1) providing real-time communication, (2) facilitating strategic thinking, (3) monitoring progress, (4) "going green," and (5) improving organizational knowledge.