Institutional factors that affect faculty mentoring in academic nursing programs

Background: Mentoring in academic nursing facilitates the acclimation of nurse faculty into academia, supports career development, and improves faculty satisfaction and retention. While studies have examined the characteristics of effective mentors, few have examined institutional influences on academic mentoring for faculty. Purpose: To identify institutional factors that support or hinder faculty-to-faculty academic mentoring from the perspectives of experienced nurse faculty mentors. Method: A qualitative descriptive approach was used to identify institutional factors that impact academic mentoring. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with experienced nurse faculty (n = 24) about their mentoring experiences. Remarks related to institutional factors were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results: Five institutional factors that supported mentoring were identified: (1) support of unit leaders, (2) established processes and policies, (3) mentoring development opportunities, (4) faculty-to-faculty support, and (5) faculty rewards. Six institutional factors that hindered mentoring were identified: (1) lack of support of unit leaders, (2) limited mentoring development opportunities, (3) heavy workloads that restrict mentoring, (4) limited pool of mentors, (5) inadequate faculty rewards for mentoring, and (6) limited oversight of faculty mentoring. Conclusion: The identification of institutional factors that support or hinder mentoring can inform academic leaders and program administrators in their efforts to strengthen mentoring.