FAANP Career Enrichment Program

Almost all professionals, NPs or otherwise, grow exponentially with the guidance of a mentor. You may have been informed that a mentor could help you, or you might feel a sense of wanting more from your career and a desire for personal growth. There are numerous, valid reasons to desire a mentor.

The benefits of having an NP mentor include but are not limited to the following:

• Elevate the NP experience.
• Motivate and inspire.
• Promote lifelong learning.
• Act as a safe place to discuss issues in a disciplined, solutions-focused manner.
• Understand and support NPs as colleagues.
• Widen and deepen the NP network and influence.
• Model leadership.

Yes; in the FAANP Career Enrichment Program, all mentoring is done by Fellows.

The application period is currently closed and will open early 2023.

You must be an AANP member in good standing and complete the online application by the established deadline.

Applicants do not choose a mentor. The FAANP Mentorship Committee will match applicants with a Fellow of like interest and notify the dyads of the match via email.

Applying to be matched to a mentor is a multistep process:

1. Complete a self-assessment to determine the following.

• Your readiness for formal mentorship.
• What mentorship area you need/want to grow in.
• What type of project would support you to best achieve your intended goals.

Complete the FAANP Career Enrichment Program application online.

Once you have been matched to an FAANP mentor, you must meet to:

• Discuss your goals, outcomes and deliverables.
• Determine a communication method.
• Establish timelines to attain your goal/deliverables.
• Establish scheduled meeting times.

Enjoy the relationship, growth and goals.

Present your mentorship deliverable at the AANP national conference or via another agreed upon AANP venue.

Mentees are responsible for negotiating mentorship goals, identifying short- and long-term deliverables and setting a reasonable time frame to accomplish the goals. Mentees are also responsible for establishing the type of interaction (e.g., email, phone, video meetings) the dyad will have, producing intermediate deliverables on time, being receptive to feedback and establishing next steps. A final presentation should be discussed for dissemination. Mentees are highly encouraged to attend AANP’s national conference.

Mentors are responsible for helping mentees establish clear goals and identify defined, short- and long-term deliverables that can be achieved within a reasonable time frame. They also agree to adhere to the agreed upon communication method (e.g., email, phone, video meetings), provide sound feedback, offer suggestions and share resources that can assist mentees in achieving their goals. Mentors are highly encouraged to attend AANP’s national conference.

The program is designed to assist any NP in growing personally and professionally. Mentors are valuable guides in this process because of their outstanding, sustained career contributions to the NP profession in defined areas. Explore more information about the FAANP.

Objectives and outcomes for assignments in academic programs are very different than the goals and objectives in a mentoring relationship. Academic assignments are linked to programs of study and framed by credentialing agencies. Mentoring programs are more personal, less structured and are not time bound, so they are not suitable to support students in academic programs.

No. Deliverables for this mentoring program are mutually determined between the mentor and mentee at the beginning of the relationship. Deliverables certainly can include research or quality improvement projects, with the exception that final products/accomplishments/deliverables are not, in whole or in part, related to an academic program and/or degree path requirement/assignment.

View the AANP Fellows Directory to locate your assigned mentor’s bio.

Once linked to a mentor, feel free to negotiate the goals and growth opportunities freely as needed. The goals/tasks are between you and your mentor. Do what is needed. Be as flexible as needed to accomplish what is intended.

Yes; this is possible but is a mutually agreed upon decision between you and your mentor. If you two determine that another mentor is needed, please feel free to engage with this third person.

Typically, this formal relationship lasts approximately one year, but it may also be shorter or longer depending upon the mutually agreed upon dyadic goals.

No; remuneration is not permitted under any circumstances.

The FAANP Career Enrichment Program and AANP candidacy are unrelated.

If the match does not work, for whatever reason, please begin by discussing with your mentor. If agreement is reached that the pairing is not working as desired, please contact the FAANP Career Enrichment Program at CareerEnrichment@aanp.org.

Mentees and mentors mutually agree upon goals set forth in the application process. Those goals should be further defined so progress and success can be defined within the time specified.

Discuss circumstances with your assigned mentor and inform the FAANP Career Enrichment Program that a pause or drop is requested.

What transpires between mentors and mentees during the mentorship period is personal and private, but career goals are generally public, as NPs serve the public good. A poster or other deliverable disseminates the mentorship outcomes so that other NPs can benefit from your work as a mentee.

NPs enrolled in academic programs are expected to devote their time and energy to completing their required assignments. The additional demands of a mentorship program — and the attendant deliverables — are significant. Mentees do not have the time they need to devote to their mentorship experience.