Mentoring Tools and Tips
National Mentoring Month and Four Simple Things You Can Do to Make a Difference
In December, 2009, the U.S. Senate recognized January, 2010 as National Mentoring Month with a resolution introduced by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and John Kerry (D-MA). The goal of National Mentoring Month is to build awareness of mentoring and encourage more people to become mentors and help close the mentoring gap in the United States.
Four Simple Things You Can Do to Make a Difference This Month
- Mentor someone in your community.
- Share this message and talk to your friends and family about the importance of volunteering
- Follow NHLI on Facebook and Twitter to help us spread the word about our programs and opportunities and join our mailing list if you are not receiving updates.
- Support NHLI’s efforts to connect mentors with young Latinas by making a small donation of $18 this month. Click here to donate.
Secrets to Mentoring
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Elizabeth “Liz” Montoya, Chief of Staff for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and a 1992 Executive Leadership Program (ELP) graduate, uses her more than 20 years of executive experience in the federal government and corporate arena to mentor others.
She served as an invaluable mentor to other Latinas participating in NHLI’s Campaign to Ensure Latina Inclusion in the New Administration (CELINA) created in late 2008. In this newsletter Liz along other NHLI alumnae share tips to mentoring. |
The formula is simple:
Cultivate your networks
Create strong relationships with the people you meet on and off the job to help each other flourish.
Mentor others
It is important to mentor because it is the only way we are going to move forward and allow us and others to be in a position of power and influence.
Mentoring is a must, we have to do it!
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Mentoring Can Help Fill Professional Voids
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Dr. Rivera-Goba, ELP '07, is Senior Nurse Specialist for Health Disparities and Community Outreach for the Research and Practice Development Service of the National Institutes of Health. She has mentored Latinas Learning to Lead graduates and has helped recruit them for the program. |
Role models and mentors are essential and in some instances, can be critical for the success of minority students. In general, white students have plenty of role models but this is not the case for minorities. Many studies have found that minority students who had same-race-and-gender-matched role models did better academically than those who did not.
Mentors can fill a variety of roles, including liaison, tutor, and supplier of information.
When it comes to nursing, the research and numerous interviews I have conducted all emphasize the need for minority students to see minorities in the role of professional nurses.
It is easy to understand the need when we realize that there are few Hispanics who enter nursing programs, and even fewer who complete them.
According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics BLS Monthly Labor Review, more than 1 million new and replacement nurses will be needed by 2012. Even more alarming, by 2020 there will be a shortage of 800,000 nurses, according to BLS estimates.
Minority nurses and nursing educators could serve as role models for other students as well. A number of the women I have interviewed said that they felt it was is important for recruiting in the classroom, graduate programs and on the job.
As a Puerto Rican nurse, I also choose to serve as a role model and mentor for Latino students. I share many commonalities that people exchange beyond their ethnicity or race. Whether you are Latino or not, if you are in the nursing field I encourage you to mentor to help us get more nurses.
Click here to read about the experiences of two of Dr. Rivera-Goba's mentees.
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Top Reasons Why NHLI Alumnae Mentor
Alumnae interviewed for NHLI’s Impact Study identified many benefits of the mentoring experience, including being one of the best ways to learn. Some of the reasons NHLI alumnae mentor are to:
- Assist others in their personal/professional development
- Give back to the community
- Serve as role models
- Care for their Latina sisters
- Become a comadre
- Break the stigma of Latinas working alone and “reinventing the wheel”
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Tips for the busy woman
NHLI’s Cybermadrinas matches Latinas Learning to Lead graduates with Execuive Leadership Program alumnae for mentorship opportunities, and provides the opportunity for virtual mentoring. Whether by e-mail check-in, online chatting through Facebook or other instant message outlets, cyber mentors can connect with their mentees regularly when face-to-face contact isn’t possible.
NHLI’s Cybermadrinas is managed online and most of the mentor/mentee communication happens via e-mail. In additional to cyber-mentoring, NHLI facilitates face-to-face contact by matching participants living in geographic proximity and/or encourage and facilitating contact at NHLI events such as the annual conference, class reunions, and other special events.
The Cybermadrinas process is methodical and monitored closely. After the matches are finalized, NHLI staff introduces the pair to the Cybermadrinas program via email and outline roles and responsibilities. NHLI also provides a guide with “conversation/ relationship starter” ideas and a list of resources to help develop an effective mentoring relationship.
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