Dartmouth-Hitchcock CNO creates millennial nurse mentor role

Editor's Note

The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at New Hampshire-based Dartmouth-Hitchcock has created a nurse mentor role to help her address the needs of younger nurses and improve retention rates, the August 24 HealthLeaders Media reports.

CNO Karen Clements, MSB, BSN, RN, FACHE, learned of the concept at a meeting she attended and then asked her nurse managers to find a new graduate who would be willing to be her mentor.

The scope of the mentorship includes quarterly meeting to discuss the needs of millennial RNs on issues such as:

• professional development
• recruitment and retention
• scheduling
• work-life balance
• work environment.

The topics of discussion range from improving technological communications to increasing social interactions outside the hospital.

Clements advises considering a millennial mentor, noting that if CNOs aren’t connected with their millennials and their needs, they are going to miss the boat for recruitment and retention.