The Challenges and Benefits of Distance Mentoring

Distance mentors are increasingly common in nursing education and practice, particularly when the mentee is not geographically mobile and there are no available local mentors with relevant expertise. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of nurses who worked with distance mentors for practice, research, or leadership development. We recruited a convenience sample to complete an on-line survey through professional organizations and schools of nursing. The responses from 67 nurses indicate that distance mentoring is used by clinicians, doctoral students, junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and administrators. Distance mentors are sought when a mentee's needs require specific areas of mentor expertise, no such match exists at the mentee's home institution, and the mentee is not geographically mobile. Most survey participants were satisfied with their mentoring experience and reported significant scholarly productivity. Based on the findings, a reciprocal model depicting factors for successful distance mentoring was developed with two key features: (a) communication of needs, goals, and expectations, and (b) planning time and methods for adequate connection. This study provides evidence that distance mentoring is an appropriate option to help meet nursing's needs for more scholars, leaders, educators, and clinicians.