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Mentoring Relationship Preferences of Early, Middle, and Late Career Stage Registered Nurses Tonya M Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2019 Mentoring Relationship Preferences of Early, Middle, and Late Career Stage Registered Nurses Tonya M. Harewood-Lawrence Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Education Commons, and the Nursing Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Education This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Tonya M. Harewood-Lawrence has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Laura Weidner, Committee Chairperson, Education Faculty Dr. Patricia Brewer, Committee Member, Education Faculty Dr. Estelle Jorgensen, University Reviewer, Education Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2019 Abstract Mentoring Relationship Preferences of Early, Middle, and Late Career Stage Registered Nurses by Tonya M. Harewood-Lawrence MSN, State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1997 BSN, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 1992 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Education Walden University April 2019 Abstract Registered nurses perceive the healthcare work environment as stressful. Stress can have a negative effect on patient care and nurses’ attrition and health. In the literature, mentors have been identified as having a positive influence on nurses. This qualitative study was an examination of nurses in mentoring relationships in the early, middle, and late career stage and working in a hospital setting. Two research questions addressed mentoring relationship preferences and mentors’ influence on perceived stress. Fourteen nurses were interviewed in the study. The conceptual framework was based on the career and psychosocial mentoring theory, the mentoring the adult learner theory, and the attachment theory. Data were analyzed electronically and manually into intuitively and inductively derived themes. The results of the study related to preferences showed nurses prefer mentors to be in the work setting, mentors to help nurses develop nursing competencies, and mentors to help nurses develop a positive self-concept. The difference among the nurses in the career stages was the type of competencies developed. The nurses identified that mentors had a positive influence on the perception of stress through the development of emotional intelligence and problem-solving skills with similarities and differences in the type of challenges nurses’ experience. The implications for future research are studies with nurses working in other healthcare settings and quantitative studies to measure levels of stress with and without a mentor. Implications for practice are the development of mentoring programs where career stages and perception of stress are addressed. Limitations of this study were the setting and sample size. Implications for social change include the development of humanistic approaches to mentoring to address nurses’ challenges and stressors in the healthcare work environment. Mentoring Relationship Preferences of Early, Middle, and Late Career Stage Registered Nurses by Tonya M. Harewood-Lawrence MSN, State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1997 BSN, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 1992 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Education Walden University April 2019 Dedication I would like to dedicate my dissertation to my husband, Patrick, my kids Clarke, Kelly, and Patrick Jr., and my parents, Mr. & Mrs. Harewood, for their endless love, support, and mentoring. Thank You. Acknowledgments First, I would like to thank God for the opportunity to further my education to help others. There are many family members, loved ones, friends, and mentors I would like to thank for their support. I would like to thank Patrick, my husband, for his continuous support and listening ear over the many years in school. I would like to thank my children, Clarke, Kelly, and Patrick for listening to my (at times) boring school papers and videos. I would like to thank my parents for simply asking, “How are you doing?” I would like to thank my brother Michael for his prayers. I would like to thank every RN who interviewed for this study and all of those who lead me to each RN who either could or was unable to participate in the study. I would like to thank nursing leaders (past and present) for their support, leadership, mentoring, and dedication to the profession of nursing. I would like to thank Shirley Brown-Alleyne for reading and editing school papers, as well as, listening to efforts to balance family, work, and school. I would like to thank my co-workers for listening to potential dissertation topics. I would like to say thank you to Dr. Laura E. Weidner, Dr. Patricia R. Brewer, and Dr. Estelle Jorgensen for their expertise and guidance through the dissertation journey. Finally, I would like to thank Anne Rojas for her expertise as a librarian and Dr. Sara Witty and Courtney Dobson for their expertise as editors. Table of Contents List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures ......................................................................................................................x Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Background ....................................................................................................................5 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................8 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................9 Research Questions ......................................................................................................11 Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................12 Career and Psychosocial Mentoring Theory ......................................................... 12 Mentoring the Adult Learner Theory .................................................................... 13 Attachment Theory ............................................................................................... 13 Conceptual Framework: Communication in the Mentoring Relationship ............ 14 The Nature of the Study ...............................................................................................15 Definitions....................................................................................................................17 Assumptions .................................................................................................................18 Scope and Delimitations ..............................................................................................20 Limitations ...................................................................................................................21 Significance of the Study .............................................................................................22 Implications for Social Change ....................................................................................23 i Summary ......................................................................................................................23 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................26 Literature Search Strategy............................................................................................27 Conceptual Framework Based on Three Theories .......................................................28 Career and Psychosocial Mentoring Theory ......................................................... 29 Mentoring the Adult Learner Theory .................................................................... 33 Attachment Theory ............................................................................................... 34 Conceptual Framework: The Mentor and Mentee’s Communication in the Mentoring Relationship ............................................................................ 36 Conceptual Basis of Research Methodology ...............................................................38 History of Mentoring ...................................................................................................40 Early, Middle, and Late Career Stages in Adults.........................................................41 Mentoring .....................................................................................................................43 Challenges in Mentoring Relationships ................................................................ 45 Mentoring in Nursing ............................................................................................ 46 Building the Case for
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