Mentoring for Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists: An Exploratory Study in the Development of a Mentoring Program

Abstract

Previous research suggests that mentoring benefits Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) in many ways including decreasing stress levels and increasing academic retention rates. There is little research, however, that explores the mentoring structure preferred by SRNAs. To answer this question, the researchers surveyed 387 student members of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) and analyzed the results using descriptive statistics, Chi-square testing, and Straus and Glaser’s Grounded Theory. Researchers found that SRNAs prefer a mix of formal and informal mentoring and a layered approach to mentoring consisting of both a recently graduated CRNA and near-peer SRNA mentor. The study also found it was important to SRNAs that a mentor share a similar personality with them, be able to provide clinical and career guidance, and be able to facilitate networking. In addition, the survey data suggests that there are periods in an academic anesthesia program where mentorship is essential, including at the beginning of the program and before clinical rotations begin. Perhaps the most crucial finding was that non-Caucasian students often have different perspectives towards mentoring than Caucasian students. This was the most profound demographic difference found by this study, influencing responses more than any other demographic characteristic including age, sex, or relationship status. Future research is needed to investigate the different needs of minority SRNAs to ensure mentorship programs are structured in such a way to meet the needs of SRNAs.