Hello,
Mentors play a huge role in helping new employees assimilate in a medical setting during a pandemic. Many new graduate nurses who work at the bedside are often overwhelmed at the short staffing ratios, in addition to COVID-19. With this being said, it is even more vital for mentors to be present. I believe that electronic communication, while not ideal, is still effective. However, mentors should have multiple ways of communicating to provide options (ex. text, email, etc.).

Dear Zelluyah Gaitho

I agree that leaders must be role models for their followers and the organization. As a leader, holding a staff responsible for their performance can promote understanding of their expectations. It is more difficult if you have a lot of staff, but processes and follow-ups ensure staff expectations are exceptionally met. As a leader, participating in unit initiatives that improve quality can promote the standard of care. I believe that in today’s healthcare, providing quality care without extending beyond your resources is one of the biggest challenges. However, as leaders, we must lead a unit’s quality improvement teams for quality improvement. For example, quality representatives work with unit quality improvement committees to determine unit plans, and their importance—strategizing how to achieve quality improvement goals requires a holistic and interdisciplinary team approach. A leader must be concerned about the well-being of others to manage people. Another challenge is constantly checking to ensure regulatory standards are being adhered to by the unit or department of healthcare. As a leader, we continuously apply and adhere to the guidelines and policies of the organizations and give suggestions based on requirements. Leaders manage policy when making changes to care plans. We research the law (both state and federal) and current literature on the policy topic and give suggestions.