Mentoring Experience for Career Advancement: The perspectives of Black Women Academic Nurse Leaders

Abstract

Mentoring is critical for career advancement in all professions. It is especially crucial for leadership development and succession planning. Studies suggest that increasing the racial minority representation in higher-level leadership will provide diverse skill sets, promote innovation, and yield positive outcomes. The study aimed to examine how Black women academic nurse leaders perceive mentoring in academic nursing using critical race theory as the guiding framework and explore the crucial role of mentorship in promoting and advancing Black women academic nurse leaders. The study used a narrative qualitative research design, purposive sampling, and unstructured interviews to collect and thematically analyze data. Findings fall under two major themes; being mentored and mentoring others. The findings highlight perceived significant differences in the allocation of resources and mentoring for career advancement in academic nursing for Black nurses compared to those classified as white. Increasing diversity in nursing requires deliberate effort from majority white leadership.

Educating during the COVID-19 pandemic: The motherwork of Black women nursing professionals.

“…The nursing field is dominated by White women (Smiley et al, 2018) and Black women’s experiences with racial discrimination run the gamut from instructors in nursing school who doubt their academic abilities to White patients who refuse to be cared for by them (Wojciechowski, 2020). Such racial discrimination creates obstacles for career progression among Black women (Iheduru-Anderson, 2020). As participant Farrah pointed out, Black women must establish credibility as women, as Black women, and as nurses.…”

Examining and mitigating racism in nursing using the socio‐ecological model

“…Diverse perspectives among educators enrich the student's learning experience and provide underrepresented students with role models. Increasing the number of racial minority faculty through graduate student mentorship and sponsorship and increasing their opportunity for career advancement can help address this issue (Iheduru‐Anderson & Shingles, 2023; Iheduru‐Anderson et al, 2022).…”