Introduction
It is possible to determine several core competencies for nurses while speaking about the quality of their work and provided care. However, it is also important to pay attention to specific competencies that are related to the field of leadership in nursing. Coaching and mentoring should be discussed as competencies that need to be associated with the nurse’s leader role (Hamric, Hanson, Tracy, & O’Grady, 2013, p. 193). From this point, it is important to state why coaching and mentoring need to be considered as nurses’ core competencies, what coaching activities can be performed, and what mentoring activities can be considered as meaningful.
Coaching and Mentoring as Core Competencies
It is significant to discuss coaching and mentoring as nurses’ core competencies because one of the responsibilities typical for advanced nurse practitioners is staff education and development. The roles and responsibilities of advanced nurses are rather expanded today, and it is expected that nurses will work not only as care providers but also as leaders who are mentors and role models for those nurses who only start working in the concrete environment (Thompson, Wolf, & Sabatine, 2012, p. 536). In this context, mentoring is an important responsibility for advanced nurses oriented to transfer their knowledge to other nurses effectively. Coaching is also associated with providing guidance for other nurses; however, the scope of coaching is wider, and it is expected that nurses will provide guidance for patients on their health (Thompson et al., 2012, p. 538). From this point, it is also impossible to ignore coaching as a competence.
The Coaching Activity
Coaches work with patients individually, while focusing on their specific needs. Therefore, the most typical coaching activity that needs to be discussed in this area is a lecture on ways to prevent epidemics in the community. In order to work effectively as a coach, it is necessary to address the risks of epidemics for each patient individually, depending on the patient’s everyday activities, health status, and lifestyle (Clavelle, Drenkard, Tullai-McGuinness, & Fitzpatrick, 2012, p. 196). From this point, strategies implemented by coaches need to be both individual and effective to address the needs of each person in the community (Thompson et al., 2012, p. 538). While conducting a lecture on the risks of epidemics for the patient, a good coach also takes into account the patient’s medical history and level of responsibility among other factors.
The Mentoring Activity
In order to improve leadership, communication, and decision-making skills, a mentor can provide an advanced nurse with case studies that are important to be analyzed while developing an appropriate scenario and a professional solution. Case studies on different topics are critical for an inexperienced advanced practice nurse because they are a kind of simulations according to which nurses can learn their new roles and adapt to the new working environments (Johnson, Billingsley, Crichlow, & Ferrell, 2011, p. 120; Thompson et al., 2012, p. 537). The use of case studies for the teaching-learning process during the mentoring sessions cannot be discussed as a structured activity, but its effect on the development of the nurses’ leadership and professional skills can be significant.
Conclusion
Coaching and mentoring are important areas to help nurses in developing their potential as guides and learners. Performing as a coach, a nurse takes responsibilities as a leader and she can influence the patient’s behavior. Taking a role of a mentor, a nurse helps other personnel to adapt to the working conditions. Being taught by a mentor, a nurse receives the opportunity to develop her own potential.
References
Clavelle, J., Drenkard, K., Tullai-McGuinness, S., & Fitzpatrick, J. (2012). Transformational leadership practices of chief nursing officers in Magnet organizations. Journal of Nursing Administration, 42(4), 195-201. Web.
Hamric, A. B., Hanson, C., Tracy, M. F., & O’Grady, E. (2013). Advanced practice nursing: An integrative approach (5th ed). New York, NY: Saunders.
Johnson, J., Billingsley, M., Crichlow, T., & Ferrell, E. (2011). Professional development for nurses: Mentoring along the u-shaped curve. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 35(2), 119-125. Web.
Thompson, R., Wolf, D., & Sabatine, J. (2012). Mentoring and coaching: A model guiding professional nurses to executive success. Journal of Nursing Administration, 42(11), 536–541. Web.