Developing your career as a nurse educator: the importance of having (or being) a mentor.

With increased recruitment of new faculty to schools of nursing, many of whom have extensive clinical experience but little familiarity with academia, schools of nursing are establishing orientation and mentoring programs to facilitate the transition of these newly employed nurses to the faculty role. Having a mentor is essential for success during a career change, and is an important strategy for career advancement. The purpose of this column is to provide tips for finding and using a mentor to develop a career in nursing education.