Mentor Questionaire
Please enter your PIN. This appears on your packet of information:
1. What is your current age?
21 - 30 Years
31 - 40 Years
21 - 30 Years
31 - 40 Years
60 + Years
2. What is your gender?
Female
Male
3. Initial RN Academic Preparation
Associates Degree
Diploma Program
Baccalaurate Degree
4. How long did you practice as a registered nurse before returning for an advanced practice degree?
1 - 3 Years
3 - 5 Years
5 - 10 Years
10 - 15 Years
15 + Years
5. In what year did you graduate from the Westminster College FNP program?
6. How many years have you worked in some capacity as an advanced practice provider?
1 - 3 Years
3 - 5 Years
5 - 10 Years
10 - 15 Years
15 + Years
7. In what area do you primarily practice?
General Family Practice
Speciality Area (ie Pediatrics, Women's, Psychiatric, etc please specify)
Educational Capacity
Hospital (please specify)
Mentoring defined:
Mentoring is described as a long term, interactive process between a new practitioner and an expert. It is a helping relationship in which the expert (mentor) takes the new practitioner under their wing and provides them with direction and guidance. In this close, interactive relationship the mentor will act as counselor, advisor, educator and role model. Additionally, they have the power to inspire and challenge the beginner through active communication and support, and are important facilitators in the role socialization process. Unlike a preceptor, who is used to train the student in the clinical setting, the mentor-protégé relationship is initiated to assist the novice practitioner move to a higher level of role proficiency.
Utilizing the above definition please answer the following questions:
8. How important do you feel it is for a novice nurse practitioner to have a mentor-protégé relationship?
Unimportant
Minimally Important
Nuetral
Moderately Important
Very Important
9. When starting as an advanced practice provider did you have someone you would consider as a mentor?
Yes
No
Unsure
10. If you answered yes please answer the following questions.
If you had a mentor was the mentor a:
Medical Doctor (MD)
Doctor of Osteopathy
Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)
Physician Assistant (PA)
Certified Nurse Specialist (CNS)
Other
:
11. How important is/was the mentoring process in helping you make the transition from a novice to a competent family nurse practitioner?
Unimportant
Somewhat Unimportant
Nuetral
Somewhat Important
Very Important
12. Please select or identify any factors which assisted you in developing a mentoring relationship?
I was sought out by another professional
I personally sought out a mentoring relationship
I had an established relationship through school
I established a relationship with a provider through my first employment
I am unable to specifically identify how the relationship occurred
Other (please describe)
:
When starting out as a nurse practitioner:
13. What was the
most helpful
thing your mentor provided for you?
:
14. What was the
least helpful
thing your mentor provided for you?
:
During your first years of practice:
15. During your first years of practice, what were the
3 most difficult challenges
you faced during your transition from registered nurse to nurse practitioner?
Acceptance by medical doctors
Advance responsibility in decision making
Acceptance by other nurses or other members of the medical team
Overcoming doubts in ability to do the job
Establishing contacts and or referrals
Time constraints
Isolation
Feelings of being unprepared
Feelings of not being a part of the medical team
Negotiating bureaucratic obstacles (billing, insurance, gaining assistance from office personnel etc.)
Other: (please describe)
:
16. What were the
3 least difficult challenges
you faced during your transition from registered nurse to nurse practitioner?
Acceptance by medical doctors
Advance responsibility in decision making
Acceptance by other nurses or other members of the medical team
Overcoming doubts in ability to do the job
Establishing contacts and or referrals
Time constraints
Isolation
Feelings of being unprepared
Feelings of not being a part of the medical team
Negotiating bureaucratic obstacles (billing, insurance, gaining assistance from office personnel etc.)
Other: (please describe)
:
17. If you had difficulty in establishing a mentoring relationship, briefly explain factors that may have contributed to this (such as job selection, personality conflicts with professional peers, didn’t feel as though one was needed, etc.)?
:
18. What are the
advantages
of having a mentor?
:
I do not perceive any advantages to the mentoring process
19. What are the
disadvantages
of having a mentor?
:
I do not perceive any disadvantages to the mentoring process
20. With respect to a mentoring relationship, how important would you say this relationship is in increasing or enhancing the following items?
Builds confidence in your ability to do the job
Unimportant
Minimally Important
Nuetral
Moderately Important
Very Important
Provides psychological and emotional support
Unimportant
Minimally Important
Nuetral
Moderately Important
Very Important
Provides knowledge-based support (i.e. helps clarify questions or challenges thought processes)
Unimportant
Minimally Important
Nuetral
Moderately Important
Very Important
Decreases feelings of isolation
Unimportant
Minimally Important
Nuetral
Moderately Important
Very Important
Assists in establishing referral network
Unimportant
Minimally Important
Nuetral
Moderately Important
Very Important
Improves patient care
Unimportant
Minimally Important
Nuetral
Moderately Important
Very Important
Assists with time management
Unimportant
Minimally Important
Nuetral
Moderately Important
Very Important
Decreases my anxiety
Unimportant
Minimally Important
Nuetral
Moderately Important
Very Important
Facilitates acceptance by other members of the healthcare team
Unimportant
Minimally Important
Nuetral
Moderately Important
Very Important
It has been proposed that nurse practitioner programs should institute formalized residency programs that would help to close the gap between theory and practice, and better prepare the FNP for the rigors of practice (Hart, 2007; Barker, 2006). A residency and/or internship program would differ from mentoring in that it would be a component of the curriculum. Hypothetically, it would be a post graduate program that involved an additional 1 or 2 semesters in which the NP attains an additional 400 to 800 clinical hours. The clinical setting would be run by qualified practitioners. A small stipend may be offered to the students.
21. Thinking back to your first year of practice, how valuable would a residency program have been for you in assisting in your transition from student to practitioner?
Unimportant
Minimally Important
Nuetral
Moderately Important
Very Important
22. Do you think residency programs should be instituted? (Briefly explain your answer)
Yes
No
Unsure
:
23. In addition to mentoring, are there other components during the first year of practice that you view as crucial to facilitating your role transition?
:
24. Finally, is there anything more your education could have provided that would have assisted you in your role as a family nurse practitioner?
:
Validation Code:
2185
Please enter the validation code.