Connecting in distance mentoring: Communication practices that work

SummaryBackground sing and healthcare become more global, supported by technology, the opportunities for distance mentoring increase. Mentorship is critical to nurse educator recruitment and retention. Objective rpose of this study was to identify communication practices of nurse educators involved in mentoring at a distance. /Settings itative design, utilizing in-person or telephone interviews was used. Participants were twenty-three protégés or mentors who were part of a yearlong distance mentoring program. is Method rative process of hermeneutic analysis identified three themes; this paper focuses on the theme of connectedness. s ipant narratives illuminate practices of connecting at a distance: meeting face-to-face, sharing personal information, experiencing reciprocity, journaling, being vulnerable, establishing oneʹs presence, and appreciating different perspectives. sion ce does not appear to limit the connecting potential leading to a meaningful mentoring relationship; rather, it offers possibilities that local mentoring relationships may not. Nurse educators in under-resourced countries, those in small programs without a cadre of senior faculty, and students in distance programs are among those who stand to benefit from distance mentoring relationships.