Mentor Training

Mentors are the heart of the mentorship program. In order for mentors to nurture and teach their mentees, the program needs to first nurture and teach the mentors. The cornerstone of successful mentorship programs is a training program designed to do more than simply convey pedagogical techniques. Mentorship training is the opportunity for you to create a cohesive community, united in a shared goal, and founded on a strong culture of caring. The training sessions will prepare the mentors with strategies to develop a caring, supportive, inclusive learning environment that gives the mentees coping skills to reduce stress and succeed in the nursing program. This chapter provides a detailed overview of the elements that are included in mentor training for the program to realize its goals. It offers guidelines for teaching your mentors to plan and facilitate peer group meetings, as well as techniques to assist the mentors to enter the correct mindset for communicating with mentees. It also details specific learning strategies for all types of learners and offers a template for mentors to use to structure individual and group mentoring sessions.