Coaching and mentoring
Coaching and mentoring are part of education in professional development. Mentoring is a way of transferring skills and knowledge and inspiring people. Coaching and mentoring are similar activities. Coaching is concerned with improving performance and developing skills (Huggins, 2016). This paper will analyze the literature on coaching and mentoring.
Yes, I agree that coaching and mentoring are core competencies for a nurse after the graduate level. This is because, after the graduate level of studies, nurses are now well educated and equipped to mentor and coach student nurses. The graduate nurses carry out these roles when caring for patients and their relatives, and even with other team members in the same profession. Graduate nurses are skilled and knowledgeable hence a need to be given the opportunity to coach and mentor others. These roles help them promote professional development, have confidence, and therefore encouraging further learning. It is the role of APN to establish a therapeutic relationship with patients and other health professionals through coaching and mentoring. Professional mentoring and coaching have been recognized as focusing on the health, wellness, and healing of the patients (Tiew et al., 2017).
As an advanced practice nurse, I will focus on teaching diabetic patients about the effects of smoking. Patient teaching is important in the management of lifelong diseases. It involves helping patients to be informed about their health conditions and management. I will employ a discussion strategy with a demonstration of how smoking affects the people and especially those with diabetes. The discussion strategy helps patients and student nurses to be involved in the mentoring process. They will be actively participating in the discussion hence providing positive feedback. It encourages critical thinking and self-esteem. The APN can encourage discussion between patients and their families. Advance practice nurses should be informed with patient education resources in their area of specialization because the resources facilitate coaching and mentoring (Malik, McKenna, & Plummer, 2015). Additionally, one mentoring activity that I might complete is guidance. The mentoring activity has a structural role. APN guidance raises awareness on how to manage the illness and preparing a transition in life. It is a form of communication used by the APNs while assisting clients and families to explore their resources, possibilities, and motivations (Eliades et al., 2017).
In brief, mentoring and coaching should be taught to advanced practice nurses because they always practice professional relationships with patients and other team members who have a desire for clinical practice. Mentoring nurses is necessary for the acquisition of knowledge and skills that act as a scientific foundation for advanced practice nurses.