380 ■ III: ROLE FUNCTIONS OF DOCTORAL ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE
encouraged to connect and share interests with each other in preparation for the stu-
dents’ scholarly papers at the culmination of their programs of study. The purpose is to
encourage networking, role model collegiality in doctoral advanced nurses, and build a
system of mutual collaboration in scholarly projects. When planning their culminating
DNP projects (i.e., scholarly initiatives), they are directed to seek out other mentors con-
nected to their interest and practice setting to guide and provide constructive criticism.
They also form or join research and practice teams as part of their doctoral course work,
and several of these student– faculty and student– student partnerships have resulted in
evidence- based system improvements in health care settings, have been published in
peer- reviewed journals, and presented at professional conferences.
Figure 16.1 depicts this dynamic process as continuous, as the process of mentoring
first moves from mutual introductions, commitment, and contract formation, through
anticipatory information sharing and exchanges, to the mentor actively supporting the
student’s scholarship, to the final collaborative relationship. Encircling this process is
the required organizational support in terms of time, recognition, and resources, which
enables this relationship to develop to its potential.
FIGURE 16.1 University of St. Francis mentoring model.