Leveraging mentorships to prevent burnout

In a high-stakes, high-risk, high-stress field like the healthcare industry, staffing retention has become a top priority. With rising patient numbers and evolving health crises, professionals are often under significant pressure, compounded by the documentation burden and the need for constant training on new equipment and applications to perform job duties and stay career competitive.  

But so much of what is learned in hospital units boils down to on-the-job training and the kinds of practical “Get Stuff Done” approaches that takes seasoned practitioners months or years to develop. Taking time to pass on that hard-won knowledge and pro tips can pay huge dividends over time through mentoring of incoming staff by veterans, both in onboarding and burnout prevention. 

One of the healthcare innovation leaders in the U.S., the Cleveland Clinic, was recently profiled for its interesting tweak of traditional mentorship programs, as it emphasizes “friend-tors,” relationships that are encouraged and maintained beyond working hours. Scholars are also taking note of the value of mentorships in preventing professional burnout. Healthcare mentoring programs are also impacting critical care environments, and best practices are emerging for improving such programs. One recent article even compared mentoring to “Miracle Gro” for nurses. 

Key benefits of mentorship programs 

• Personal growth & resilience: A mentor provides invaluable insights based on years of experience. They’ve been in your shoes and faced similar challenges. Their wisdom can help you navigate complex situations, making you more resilient in the face of adversity. 
• Safe space for discussion: A mentor isn’t just someone who shares knowledge. They’re someone with whom you can openly discuss concerns, without the fear of being judged. This emotional outlet can be a game-changer in managing stress. 
• Networking: In the healthcare sector, who you know often matters as much as what you know. A mentor can introduce you to a wider professional network, opening doors that could remain closed otherwise. 
• Skill development: Beyond the medical skills, there are soft skills that are essential to thriving in the healthcare environment. Effective communication, leadership, and decision-making are just a few areas where a mentor’s guidance can elevate your proficiency. 
• Purpose reaffirmation: In the overwhelming tides of healthcare, it’s easy to lose sight of why you started. A mentor can remind you of your passion and purpose, rejuvenating your spirit. 

Healthcare leaders considering something like Cleveland Clinic’s “friend-tor” program might consider this sort of checklist: 

Building a successful healthcare mentorship program: 

• Clear objectives: Define what you aim to achieve with the mentorship program. Is it skill development, employee retention, or something else? 
• Matching process: Pair mentors and mentees based on interests, goals, and areas of expertise. The more aligned they are, the more fruitful the relationship. 
• Regular check-ins: Schedule periodic meetings to gauge the progress of the mentorship. Adjust and evolve as needed. 
• Training for mentors: Equip potential mentors with the skills and knowledge to guide their mentees effectively. 
• Feedback mechanism: Construct a system where both mentors and mentees can provide feedback. This ensures continuous improvement. 

One interesting possibility for building mentoring programs within clinical settings is to use generative AI to identify and suggest possible mentor-mentee pairings within a given clinical context, based on personality type inventories or other instruments that identify compatible working styles, activity schedules, or other measures relevant measures. Using GPT-4’s new “custom instructions” feature would allow mentor program organizers to build a set of guidelines for these relationships, and then use those instructions to create compatibility lists based on anonymized staffing data. It will be interesting to see how modern tools like Gen-AI can improve the outcome of established interventions like mentorship programs. 

Building on extensive experience in the fields of journalism, media production, and learning design and development, John Marc Green’s newest adventure is serving as Director of CHIME Innovation. In this role, his ongoing conversations with CHIME Members and Partners provide insights and direction to serve their interests in a variety of ways, including digital healthcare innovation journalism, professional development events and program facilitation, and on-demand educational development through CHIME Innovation.