C/HR/92. The Role of Mentoring in the Health Industry

Mentoring is a valuable tool that can facilitate knowledge sharing amongst vast groups of employees. When an employee’s unique knowledge of an organisation and job practices becomes a company’s greatest asset, that organisation cannot afford to lose that commodity. Creating mentoring relationships to share this knowledge is a key way for the health service to tap into their most invaluable assets—their employees. The current discussion is an appraisal of the function of mentoring in relation to the health sector by reviewing tertiary literature. The analysis begins by identifying the constituents of a mentoring system: mentors, mentees, and the health organisations. Then proceeds to the examination of each constituent. Overall, the attributable advantage to the health industry is a fine correlation between a positive mentoring experience and performance. Hence, mentoring becomes a strategic business imperative whose return on investment can be measured on the scale of increased productivity, employee retention and development, and job satisfaction. The ultimate result is a boost of the quality of patient care.