Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 116 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-94).

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Mentoring has been suggested as a means to assist with role transition, career planning, and retention in the profession by providing opportunities for personal and professional growth lead to satisfaction. Satisfaction is especially crucial for the retention of Registered Nurses in a time when the profession has been experiencing a critical shortage. This quantitative study examined the influence of mentoring for RNs who have been employed in acute care facilities for the first time for less than 2 years. Using Bouquillon's mentoring instrument and based in the frameworks of King and Kram, the study suggests mentoring is occurring among new nurses (protégés). The protégés reported mentoring antecedents, and both the psychosocial and the career development functions that Kram states are important to be present if mentoring is to occur. These RNs clearly describe an individual as a "mentor". In this study, those nurses who achieved a higher level of goal attainment (mean ≥ 36) and were in a mentoring relationship had greater levels of role satisfaction.