The relationship of mentoring to job satisfaction of critical care nurses.

Mentoring offers a potential buoy in the sea of change in healthcare. Mentoring as a relationship between a novice and an expert can help promote stability in nursing. Studies have revealed that mentorship enhances the professional growth of nursing leaders and educators, but little is found in literature describing mentors for nurses engaged in clinical practice. Seventy-six members of a critical care nursing specialty organization's clinical practice network, spanning regions across the United States, were surveyed by mail. The relationship between mentoring and job satisfaction, as measured by the Index of Work Satisfaction, was examined. Scores were higher in the mentored group as compared to the group without a mentor, but the relationship was not statistically significant. Subjects did identify positive characteristics of a mentor.