title: Walking alongside: a qualitative study of the experiences and perceptions of academic nurse mentors supporting early career nurse academics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study explores the experiences and perceptions of academic nurse mentors supporting early career nurse academics (ECNAs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviews were undertaken with mentors following a mentoring partnership with ECNAs. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a process of thematic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four themes emerged from the data, namely; motivation for mentoring; constructing the relationship; establishing safe boundaries and managing expectations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides a unique insight into the experiences of mentoring within the context of an academic leadership programme for nurses. Such insights highlight the issues facing academics from professional disciplines and can inform strategies to support their career development.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A sustainable academic nursing workforce is crucial to ensure that effective preparation of future generations of expert clinical nurses. Therefore, it is important to consider strategies that could strengthen the academic nursing workforce.
authors.affiliation: a Faculty of Health and Life Sciences , Oxford Brookes University , Oxford , UK.|b School of Health , University of New England , NSW , Australia.
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: c School of Nursing and Midwifery , University of Western Sydney , NSW , Australia.
authors.forename: Kath
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: d Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education , Anglia Ruskin University , UK.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andrew
authors.affiliation: e Faculty of Health , University of Technology Sydney , NSW , Australia.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Daly
authors.affiliation: e Faculty of Health , University of Technology Sydney , NSW , Australia.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.affiliation: f School of Nursing , University of Wollongong , Wollongong , NSW , Australia.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Halcomb
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008611:Mentors; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research
keywords: collegiality; early career nurse academics; mentor; mentoring; professional relationship; qualitative