Nurse Practitioner Cincinnati Children's Hospital Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Title: Improving Oncology APP Orientation Through the Addition of a Formal Mentorship Program
Abstract : Title: Improving Oncology APP Orientation Through the Addition of a Formal Mentorship Program
Basis of Inquiry: At Cincinnati Children’s, the pediatric oncology program consists of a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. High-functioning teams are essential to providing quality patient care, and Advanced Practice Providers are an integral part of the care team. Our current APP orientation consists of 24 weeks of structured learning largely driven by APP preceptors. Through feedback from current APPs, we identified an opportunity to improve APP orientation by implementing a formal mentorship program between oncology APPs and faculty.
Purpose/
Objectives: The purpose is to improve APP orientation by adding a formal mentorship program with an oncology faculty member. The goals of the APP Mentorship Program are to improve communication and collaboration between APPs and faculty, provide opportunities for feedback, increase engagement and retention, promote resilience and reduce burnout, and provide opportunities for APP involvement in research and quality improvement projects.
Methods: Oncology APPs are paired with a faculty mentor at the beginning of orientation. Mentees and mentors complete pre-work. The pairs meet for formal monthly meetings which are designed to be mentee-driven. Pairs are also encouraged to have monthly informal check-ins. At the end of the formal mentorship period, participants receive a program evaluation consisting of a 10 question Likert style survey with free text for additional comments.
Findings/Outcomes: Feedback has been largely positive and faculty continue to support the program due to observed benefits to the team. Eleven APPs have been paired to date with faculty mentors. Program evaluations are sent to participants at the end of the mentorship period. Survey results show that most participants found the program beneficial. Over 85% of participants reported the program provided opportunities for feedback to be given and received. The only challenge reported was finding time for formal meetings.
