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Mentoring, Nursing, Midwifery, Faculty, Qualitative research, IntroductionWith regard to the critical responsibility of educators in providing quality education and research, it is a critical priority to be up-to-date in order to respond efficiently to the forthcoming academic needs. Beginner educators need not only to be competent in their specialty but also qualified in other interdisciplinary capabilities such as continued education, research, and management as relevant to different areas of medical sciences ( 1, ).In this regard, novice faculty members are faced with many challenges such as transition to their role as instructor ( 2, ). Moreover, the characteristics of the third millennium students, i.e. change in learning methods and use of new technologies, are among issues that can make the management of classroom highly stressful. In such a situation, nothing is more stressing for the instructor than lack of a mentor to refer to for help and support ( 3, ).Several propositions have been made to support instructors in transitioning to their roles as instructors in addition to helping them on the way towards scholarship of teaching and learning. The mentoring method has been considered highly efficient in preparing faculty members for their academic and professional roles ( 4, - 8, ). Effective mentoring programs that focus on topics such as career development and modeling can be contributive in moving mentees from an idealist stance to a realistic perspective ( 9, ). Furthermore, mentoring programs in higher education provide an opportunity for the development of human interaction based on respect, perseverance, and trust ( 2, ). The concept of mentoring was first introduced in &,lsquo Odyssey&,rsquo by Homer. Odysseus entrusted his son, Telemachus, to his friend Mentor to train him the important values and skills and prepare him for adult life ( 10, , 11, ). Mentoring is seen as a human and social relationship, which leads to personal development and entails mutual learning and professional as well as personal growth of the mentor and the learner. This relationship allows experienced practitioners to share their knowledge and experiences with new generations. The mentoring process is regarded as an indicator of the start of the process of self-actualization and growth ( 6, , 9, , 10, ). As defined by the National League of Nursing, mentoring is a key strategy for the establishment of a healthy working environment and promotion and development of faculty members during their professional life as nurse educators ( 12, ). Furthermore, researchers have also shown that mentoring is a major factor in recruitment and retention of the staff ( 10, , 11, ).Different models have been proposed to be implemented as mentoring programs including traditional or formal models and collaborative (informal) model ( 5, ). In traditional models, the relationship is established between an experienced mentor and one or more mentees. In such a hierarchical relation, the mentor has full authority and power ( 2, ). However, collaborative models, which are often informal, promote teamwork and lead to increased motivation and scientific productivity of the faculty members ( 5, , 9, ). In informal mentoring, the established relationship is unstructured and self-motivated ( 2, , 13, ). Formal mentoring is usually characterized with a difference in power hierarchy. Therefore, it is not as easy to establish a relationship between the mentor and the learner. In the collaborative model, the group is shaped voluntarily, and there is a heightened sense of support, cooperation and shared experiences ( 4, ). Therefore, it is obvious that interaction between the members is easily established in the collaborative model. Faculty members encounter many stressful situations in the work environment and use different strategies to cope with them. Several previous studies have suggested mentoring to develop the role, professional support, and interrelations between colleagues ( 3, , 4, , 6, ). Positive effects of mentoring have been proposed as empowering faculty members, promoting satisfaction, and providing an opportunity for interaction between novice and senior members ( 2, , 14, ) . Given the specific structure of the faculty members of the Nursing and Midwifery Faculty of Birjand University of Medical Sciences (BUMS) (36% novice members and 36% experienced members and 28% mid-careers), collaborative mentoring sessions were held for them. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of a sample of Iranian of nursing and midwifery faculty members in Birjand University of Medical Sciences concerning collaborative mentoring.MethodsThis study was conducted in&,nbsp Nursing and Midwifery College affiliated to Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran. The participants were 17 nursing or midwifery faculty members in this college, who had participated in several mentoring sessions. Here, a brief description of these sessions is provided. These sessions, which were held as panel discussion and small group sessions, lasted between 45 to 60 minutes on average. For each session a faculty member who had more expertise and experience on the topic was chosen as the leader. The leader gave a speech on fundamentals of the topic, and then all members raised their questions and comments in a quite intimate atmosphere. The newly-employed and experienced members shared their experiences in relation to the challenges posed. The leader made conclusions at the end of each session, and the latest available information based on scientific resources was presented.The topics discussed in each session are displayed in brief in Table 1,.SessionsTopics discussed1Introduction of collaborative mentoring approach and required skills for teamwork2Brainstorming used for selection of proper topics and common challenges to faculty members to present in collaborative mentoring sessions3Concept of effective teaching and sharing of experiences concerning challenges faced with during their teaching tenure4Modern teaching methods and discussion of their application in educational settings given the existing conditions and facilities (2 sessions)5Shortcomings and deficiencies of evaluation approaches in clinical settings according to members&,rsquo experiences (2 sessions)6Introduction of new evaluation methods and approaches to be applied by faculty members (3 sessions)7Application of evidence-based practice in theoretical education and clinical settings8Manners to hold evidence-based journal clubs by/for students9Characteristics of the students of the third millennium 10Challenges of millennial students and strategies to guide them and manage classes11Introducing appropriate approaches for the teaching-learning process such as Harden Educational Strategy12Discussion about research ideas in educationTable 1. Topics of collaborative mentoring sessionsTo explore the perspectives of nursing and midwifery faculty members concerning collaborative mentoring, a qualitative approach, using qualitative conventional content analysis, was applied. Data collection and analysis was done from September&,nbsp 2017 to September&,nbsp 2018. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. Maximum variation sampling strategy was applied with the members&,rsquo gender, age, tenure, and fields of specialty. The subjects then participated in semi-structured interviews, using the following questions, &,ldquo Will you elaborate on your experience of participating in the meetings at the faculty?&,rdquo , &,ldquo Will you talk about the effects of participating in the meetings in terms of your professional and personal life?", Based on your personal experience, &,ldquo Will you comment on your preference for continuation or termination of such sessions?&,rdquo , &,ldquo How did you feel about participating in this sessions?&,rdquo , and &,ldquo What changes have these sessions made in your academic life?&,rdquo Then, according to the responses provided, some probing questions were asked. The probing questions were not a fixed series of questions but they were based on the unique responses by the participants.The semi-structured interviews lasted from one to two hours. Within a maximum of 24 hours, the interviews were transcribed verbatim and read in order to come to a general idea of the experiences of the interviewees. Totally, 17 members of the faculty were interviewed. Since the last three interviews provided no new categories, the team felt the data were saturated. Since it is suggested that reaching data saturation can indicate an appropriate sample size ( 15, ), the process of data collection was stopped at this stage, and the data were analyzed.Building on the approach recommended by Graneheim and Lundman (2004) ( 16, ), the interviews were first coded line by line. The codes were compared based on their similarities and differences and arranged in the form of sub-categories, which were later grouped according to similar meanings. Finally, given the original concept of categories, two themes emerged from the data analysis. MAXQDA software was used to facilitate data management.RigorThe interviews were analyzed by two researchers independently for conformability. Afterwards, the results were compared, while modifications were made in order to reach consensus. Peer checking and member checking were also used ( 17, ). One of the ways to ensure credibility is long-term involvement with the subject under study. The researchers were present in the sessions as faculty members before the start of the study they had a strong interaction and relation with the participants both before and after the study.In this study, the researchers tried to increase research credibility with long and deep involvement with data as well as checking the findings by the participants. Similarly, trustworthiness was enhanced using different data collection methods (interviews, observations and memos). In addition, it was tried to accurately record and report the steps and decisions taken to facilitate follow-up researches by others.Ethical considerationThe proposal of the present research was approved by Research and Ethics Committee of the Birjand University of Medical Sciences (Ethical ID, IR.BUMS.REC.1395.302). Before conducting the interviews, the potential participants were provided with written information on the objectives of the study. They were informed that their participation in the study was voluntary and they could leave the study at any time without penalty. Written informed consent was obtained from them regarding their participation in the study. Also, they were assured that the collected data will remain strictly confidential and will not be available to anyone other than the research group.ResultsThe Participants (6 men and 11 women) had a mean age of 37.5 years (ranging from 28 to 52 years) and were either assistant professor (n=5) or instructor (n=12) with an average work experience of 7.8 years (ranging from 1 to 28 years). Analysis of the interviews led to the emergence of two main themes, &,lsquo Reaching team satisfaction through an engaging mentorship&,rsquo and &,lsquo Group journey toward professional actualization&,rsquo . The first theme covered three main categories including ",Promotion of life quality",, ",Encouragement of members to active participation",, and ",Focus on goal-oriented design of sessions",. The second theme consisted of three categories, ",Promotion of professional competence",, ",Facilitating interactions between faculty members",, and ",Overall satisfaction and emphasis on continuing the meetings",. The relevant themes, categories and their subcategories along with sample quotes of the participants are presented in Table 2,.Sub-categoriesCategoriesThemesGetting away from daily lifePromotion of life qualityReaching team satisfaction through an engaging mentorshipThe impact on members&,rsquo psychosocial aspects of life |