The National Ideation Workshop- Joining thoughts towards building a ‘UAE Nursing and Midwifery Research Mentorship Program’, organized by Emirates Health Services (EHS) in collaboration with Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences was held on 27th November 2021 at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai from 8.30 AM to 1.30 PM.
The aim of this National ideation workshop was to provide a forum for informed stakeholders to share their thoughts on the key themes that will support and guide the development of a national mentorship program for Nursing and Midwifery researcher through a National Nursing research hub.
Target groups for the above workshop included representatives from
- Academic institutions
- Service providers
- Sc Nursing students
- National Medical Research Centres
- Training and Development Center – Emirates Health Services.
- Nursing Professional Development teams
Totally, 48 Nursing personnel participated in the workshop with representatives from all the Emirates
Dr. Sumaya Mohamed Al Blooshi – Director of Nursing, Emirates Health Services/Head of National Committee for Nursing and Midwifery Affairs, Ministry of Health and Prevention welcomed the gathering and introduced the vision of the initiative
Professor Kevin Gormley– Dean, College of Nursing, Mohamed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences introduced and anchored the workshop
Prof Selva Titus Chacko, Dean, College of Nursing, Gulf Medical University attended the workshop along with Dr. Veena M Joseph, Asst Professor, College of Nursing.
The participants were divided into 10 groups. The workshop was structured in a group format with three brainstorming activities. Each group documented the points which were brainstormed during these sessions by an assigned recorder.
The first group activity was to name each team based on their insight of the workshop which was co-ordinated by Ms. Farha Hisham Hijji, Specialist Nurse Informatics, Nursing Department, Emirates Health Services
1. The first brainstorming activity for Group 1-5 was to brainstorm and share the roles and responsibilities of the Mentor while Group 6-10 were to discuss and present on the requirements for a Mentor. This session was facilitated by Ms. Jolly Issac– Lecturer, College of Nursing, Mohamed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Mentor shared by groups 1-5 summarized the following points •Counselling (listening; encouraging; identifying and evaluating problems)
- Coaching (helping acquire particular skills and knowledge)
- Tutoring (instructing on subject/s)
- Sponsoring (finding the appropriate network)
- Advising (matching students’ academic interests with their career aspirations)
- Befriending (developing informal supportive relationships).
Requirements for a Mentor was presented by Groups 6-10 which included
- Mentor must be genuinely interested in research
- Should have a minimum Qualification sc Nursing / BSc Nursing
- Could be an Academician or a Service Provider
2. The second brain storming activity for Group 1-5 was on Mentor training and preparation, while group 6-10 discussed on Delivering Mentorship Program, which was facilitated by Professor Kevin Gormley– Dean, College of Nursing, Mohamed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Mentor training and preparation & delivering was presented by groups 1-10, summarized as
- Create a scheme to meet identified needs
- Ensure clear links between structure, operation and outcomes
- Identify goals and outcomes for mentoring sessions
- Give mentors opportunities to promote their activities
- Give careful consideration to marketing and promotion: ‘proactive not remedial’
- Ensure sufficient planning ahead – especially for recruitment, selection and training before the commencement of the new year
- Participation levels vary between disciplines and over time – effective publicity is essential
- Remember pre-entry numbers can vary considerably from those expected
- Be versatile – consider short drop-in sessions alongside longer appointments
- Identify appropriate space for PAL/PM activity
- Promote scheme and build relations with academic staff
- Embedding schemes into academic programs enhances student commitment and helps timetabling
- Recognition and reward are valued – payment not always essential
- Manage student expectations – e.g., clarify if ‘matching’ to mentee preferences is available
3. The third brainstorming session was facilitated by Ms. Farha Hisham Hijji– Specialist Nurse Informatics, Nursing Department, Emirates Health Services on ‘Opportunities and Challenges anticipated which was common to all groups.
Challenges and opportunities anticipated in the Mentorship program was presented by all the groups and is summarized as
- Mentoring is a professional responsibility
- Nursing shortage
- Time management
- Matching between mentor and mentee
- Communication between mentor and mentee
- Lack of commitment – Mentor and Mentee
- Development of critical thinking skills
- Developing a research culture
- Mentor as a sponsor
The workshop final remarks were delivered by Professor Kevin Gormley– Dean, College of Nursing, Mohamed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The program came to an end with a group photo session by 1.30 pm