Clinical Ladder Mentoring: The Impact on Nursing Professional Development

Clinical ladder mentorship programs engage registered nurses in professional development , improve job satisfaction , and retention. The aim of this quality improvement project was to foster professional growth in early to mid-career nurses and increase clinical ladder participation rates by implementing a clinical ladder mentorship program using the Plan , Do , Study , Act cycle. Following mentorship training sessions for the Clinical Ladder Advisors , nurse mentees pursing clinical ladder advancement completed the Mentorship Effectiveness Scale survey , which evaluated the overall effectiveness of the Clinical Ladder Advisor and nurse mentee relationship and experience. One hundred percent (N=9) of the nurse mentees rated their Clinical Ladder Advisor mentors as effective and supportive while pursuing career advancement. However , clinical ladder participation rates remained flat at 2.2% compared to the previous fiscal year due to competing priorities within the organization. Future implications suggest expanding the clinical ladder mentorship program throughout the health system including the ambulatory setting , tracking and evaluating nursing turnover data system-wide , and transitioning to an electronic clinical ladder portfolio