As a result of the current legislative changes there will be a projected shortage of about 45,000 primary care physicians by 2020 to treat the newly insured who have chronic medical conditions, especially those living in rural and urban areas who receive their medical services in community health centers. Nurse practitioners (NPs) will necessarily become and indispensible component of the national health care system to meet the needs to provide medical care for the chronically ill. Current literature confirms the growing need for experienced NPs to mentor students and inexperienced NPs to achieve excellence in practice and ensure achievement of career goals. Despite this, NP mentors are a rare commodity. During the process of becoming and advanced practice nurse, every nurse practitioner (NP) has been mentored by an experienced NP; it is not possible to become an independent NP without the support and guidance of experienced mentors. An integral part of a practice-based discipline such as advanced practice nursing requires a commitment from NPs who have previously forged the path to independence. Over the last few years, the available numbers of NP mentors have declined, resulting in limited access to health care for patients and overuse of emergency departments (EDs) for primary care services. This Capstone Project explores the financial and social impact a Community Health Center (CHC) endured in 2007 resulting from a lack of NP mentors for new hire NPs. A mentoring program was developed by the senior NP with input from colleagues at the CHC following Cohen’s framework for an effective mentoring program.
