Individual mentor and mentee characteristics influencing mentorship among newly recruited nurses in an intensive care environment: A descriptive qualitative study in Ghana

Background This study explored and described the individual mentor and mentee characteristics influencing mentorship among newly recruited nurses in an intensive care environment in Accra, Ghana. Methods We adopted an exploratory, descriptive, qualitative design to capture in-depth experiences of the participants. We purposively recruited twelve newly recruited nurses working at the intensive care units of the national referral hospital in Accra, Ghana. The participants were interviewed using a pre-tested interview guide. The interviews were audio taped, transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis conducted with the aid of NVivo 10.0. Results The main themes identified were characteristics of effective mentors, characteristics of effective mentees and the employers’ role in promoting peer mentorship. The subthemes under the first theme were professional outlook, extrovert personality and mentors who often seek feedback from mentees. Also, the subthemes that emerged on the second theme included volunteerism, good interpersonal relations and positive attitude towards clinical work. Regarding the third theme, we identified provision of structured training programmes, access to learning materials for mentees and supportive work environment as subthemes. Conclusion and recommendation There is a complex interplay of mentee and mentor characteristics that operate synergistically to promote effective peer mentorship. We recommend that nurse managers of ICUs should evaluate the personalities of nurses and ensure professionals with extrovert personalities are assigned as peer mentors. In addition, the Ghana Health Service should put in place structured training programmes with emphasis on promoting volunteerism and positive attitude to work among newly recruited nurses .