Five steps to successful CDI mentoring

For many CDI specialists just starting out, finding an experienced mentor can make all the difference. Mentors offer words of wisdom, a helping hand, and sometimes even a much-needed shoulder to cry on. But frequently, mentors gain from the experience as much as they give.

If your facility is interested in becoming a CDI mentoring site, contact ACDIS Associate Director Melissa Varnavas at mvarnavas@cdiassociation.com and consider the following items before getting started:

1. Connect with your CDI program manager. Whether you wish to be mentored or are ready to volunteer to help someone else, connect with your manager first to review time restraints, possible compliance concerns, and privacy policies.

2. Discuss mentorship parameters. Set up an initial phone call with both mentor and mentee to determine experience level and expectations, as well as both partners’ availability. For some, mentorship might mean having a friend available for an occasional phone call, but others may be hoping to job shadow for a day. Be clear on what the mentorship will include.

3. Review learning expectations. Mentors may want to establish a formal schedule for the job shadowing visit, as well as an evaluation form based on the previously expressed interests. Complete any confidentiality forms or other permissions up front.

4. Foster continued relationships. If you are being mentored, be sure to follow up with a thank-you card and highlight the lessons learned and helpful tidbits you gleaned from the experience. Mentors should follow up to identify any lingering concerns. If you are a first-time mentor, document the process and discussions and keep a running list of what you feel works and what doesn’t. In addition, ask your mentee to let you know what they felt was most helpful. You can use this list to formalize the experience
so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel the next time you mentor someone.

5. Pass along the experience. Once you have your program on its feet, consider becoming a mentor yourself. Mentors can be a resource even to experienced CDI staff, as well by way of job shadowing and one-on-one interactions.

“Every CDI department, every CDI specialist has its own strengths,” says Terri Leap, RN, BSN, MBA, CDI specialist at Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis. “So an exchange of learning can
always be a positive experience.”

Editor’s Note: This article originally published in the July edition of the CDI Journal.