Nurse Mentorship in the Emergency Department: An Approach to Improving Job Satisfaction and Retention

High turnover rates among nurses are known to negatively affect patient and healthcare costs, often due to burnout and inadequate support for new nurses. Evidence supports nurse mentorship programs to improve job satisfaction and retention by supporting and fostering teamwork. Local Problem: High turnover is a problem among emergency department nurses in a small hospital in the Intermountain West, with 24 nurses leaving their positions from February 2022 to August 2023. These nurses are primarily replaced by new graduate nurses who require additional expertise and familiarity to handle critical situations efficiently. Currently, no established practices or strategies are in place to address and mitigate this concerning trend of nursing staff turnover. Methods: This quality improvement project aimed to develop an evidence-based mentorship program to enhance job satisfaction and retention for nurses with less than one year of experience in a 24-bed emergency department in Salt Lake City, Utah. Interventions: A pre-intervention survey assessed job satisfaction, intent to stay, perceptions of support and mentoring needs. Literature on nurse mentorship and retention was reviewed to understand nurse needs and potential barriers. An evidence-based mentorship program focusing on support, guidance, and professional growth was designed and implemented. Implementation occurred as a six-week pilot program with two mentor-mentee pairs. The pilot included regular mentorship sessions and a midpoint check-in to evaluate and adjust the program. Thematic analysis of post-intervention interviews assessed the effectiveness of the pilot mentorship program. It was incorporated into the recommendations made to hospital leadership for full implementation of the mentorship program as standard practice. Results: Among 19 emergency department nurses, 13 completed the pre-implementation survey. The survey revealed a mix of experience levels among the respondents, with 38% (n=5) having less than one year of experience and 23% (n=3) having three or more years of experience. Notably, 69% (n=9) of the nurses believed they would benefit from a mentorship program. Post- implementation interviews of the mentee-mentor pairs revealed that all participants (n=4, 100%) reported increased job satisfaction, sense of support, and intent to stay in their current jobs. The themes that emerged from the post-implementation interviews include connectivity, support through role transition, current barriers to mentoring, and suggestions for improvement. Conclusion: Despite implementation challenges, the mentorship program had positive outcomes, indicating the potential to improve job satisfaction and retention among emergency department nurses. Department-wide adoption and addressing barriers are recommended to enhance program effectiveness. Mentorship offers a cost-effective approach to improving nurse satisfaction and mitigating nurse turnover in the emergency department.