Development of a Mentorship Framework to Support the Professional Development of New Graduate Nurse Practitioners in Utah

Background: The benefits of mentoring are well documented in the literature as easing the transition to practice, increasing confidence, and improving professional growth and leadership skills. Mentorship programs are becoming increasingly popular, however, they are often housed within hospital settings and fused with residency programs, which dilutes the purpose of mentoring. Many nurse practitioners in Utah practice outside of a hospital setting and do not have access to such programs. The nurse practitioner (NP) turnover rate is twice that of physicians and this high turnover rate has been linked to the difficult transition from expert registered nurse (RN) to novice NP. The Utah state legislature recently passed legislation that removed the previous requirement for NPs to have a consultation and referral agreement. It does, however, require Utah NPs who are entering solo, independent practice to participate in a mentorship program (Utah.gov, 2021). Utah lacks a formal mentorship program that would both meet this new legal requirement and help ease the transition into practice for new graduate NPs. This project determined the unique mentorship needs of new graduate NPs in Utah and developed a framework for a formal mentorship program to reside within the Utah Nurse Practitioner (UNP) organization. UNP is a nonprofit, volunteer organization which serves as the professional organization for Utah NPs. Methods: The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of Utah determined this work to be a quality improvement project. Benner's Novice to Expert Theory served as the framework for this project. Utilizing information gathered from the literature, and iterative review by subject matter experts, an electronic questionnaire was developed. This questionnaire was disseminated to 3,200 Utah NPs utilizing the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) e-mail list with a response rate of 10%. Results: The responses obtained were qualitative in nature and provided data regarding perceived mentorship needs, attitudes towards mentoring, and potential barriers that may hinder effective mentoring relationships. Guided by best practice guidelines and evidence-based research, this data was used to develop a mentorship framework and detailed plan for a formal UNP led mentorship program. The proposed framework was presented to UNP leadership, and a group of potential mentors and mentees for formal feedback. This feedback will be incorporated into the final mentorship framework. Finally, a written executive report, including recommendations for implementation was disseminated to key stakeholders. Conclusion: Formal mentorship has been found to ease and support the transition into practice. Utah NPs may benefit from a formalized mentorship program led by the UNP organization.