At ANA-Illinois, we strive to provide our members with whatever they need to succeed in their nursing careers. It is widely recognized that mentorship is a huge component of career development. Faced with a rapidly changing health care environment, disruptive technology, and new challenges (like COVID-19), we believe that mentorship is more important than ever. 

ANA-Illinois: Did you Know About the ANA Mentoring Program?

Being a member of ANA-Illinois gives you access to the American Nurses Association’s mentorship program. The program is a members-only benefit designed specifically to match new RNs with more experienced nurses. It is completely virtual so your Mentor/Mentee relationship can take place online or via phone. 

Susan Swart, ANA-Illinois’ Executive Director, explains, “79% of millennials believe mentorship programs are crucial to their career success.  ANA agrees and wants to help you find your perfect mentor. Whether you are a new nurse struggling to find your first position, trying to find your niche, or navigating a path of career transitions into education, advanced practice and management positions, the ANA Mentorship Program will provide valuable help for this journey.” 

How to use the ANA-Illinois Mentorship Program Tool

You can find our Mentorship Program page here. Once you get to the page, you’ll need to decide whether you want to be a mentor or a mentee. Once you’ve decided on your role, you’ll begin the signup process. During the signup process, you’ll be asked a number of demographic and career-related questions that will allow the ANA Mentorship Team to match mentors and mentees.  

The priority is to craft matches between more experienced RNs (mentors) and less experienced RNs (mentees). Therefore, years of nursing experience is the most important factor in the matching process. Nursing specialty will not be considered. 

You can find our program overview, information on becoming a mentor or mentee, and frequently asked questions here. Lastly, the best thing about our Membership Program is that it is completely free for ANA-Illinois members! 

ANA-Illinois Uses Tools to Help Nurses

At the American Nurses Association – Illinois, we are dedicated to helping nurses complete their goals — whether it be through tools or services, like our membership program. If you think there’s a service that we can provide that would help you to complete your nursing goals, we want to hear about it! Our contact information is here. Feel free to give us a call or message us directly on the page!