The healthcare industry is experiencing a workforce crisis, with burnout, talent shortages and evolving patient care demands threatening employee retention. According to an AMN Healthcare survey, more than a third of nurses are extremely likely to change jobs. A study by the Ultimate Medical Academy found that 49% of healthcare employees experience burnout, and 60% expect to leave their jobs within five years.
These challenges are further compounded by excessive workloads. Research from the World Health Organization highlights that working more than 55 hours per week directly correlates to serious health conditions like heart disease and stroke, with nearly 745,000 deaths annually linked to overwork. As one expert put it, “Overnight shifts, twelve-hour workdays—these are just a couple of the scheduling hurdles healthcare providers face.” A 2023 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine also confirmed that excessive workloads significantly contribute to burnout and intent to leave.
With these growing challenges, healthcare employees need more than traditional workforce solutions. Mentoring has become a key strategy in combating burnout, improving retention and fostering career growth.
In a recent Chronus customer panel, healthcare leaders from Houston Methodist, Mayo Clinic and the American Nurses Association (ANA) shared how mentoring is helping them build a more resilient workforce. Below are key takeaways on how they structure their programs, measure success, scale initiatives and leverage the Chronus platform to maximize impact.
Q&A with Healthcare Mentoring Experts
Q1: What are the biggest workforce challenges in healthcare today?
Lola Tumaini (ANA): One of our biggest challenges is member retention. Nurses come from a wide range of specialties, yet we take a generalist approach to benefits. We have to ensure nurses see value in our membership beyond their specific specialty and recognize us as a long-term resource throughout their careers.
Janelle Wozniak (Mayo Clinic): Retention is a challenge, but engagement is just as critical. Since COVID-19, many employees are reevaluating their careers, making it harder to maintain previous levels of engagement. It’s not just about keeping staff—it’s about ensuring they feel valued and connected to their work.
Jes Logan (Houston Methodist): Internal mobility is key. We invest heavily in hiring, so we want to retain top talent. Many employees want to grow but don’t know how. Mentoring helps them navigate career paths and identify opportunities within our system.
Q2: How has mentoring helped address these workforce challenges?
Janelle Wozniak (Mayo Clinic): Our mentoring program fosters a culture of support and belonging. While I’d love to keep all my best nurses in one place, the reality is that people evolve and change. Mentorship helps guide them through those transitions so we don’t lose them altogether.
Jes Logan (Houston Methodist): With 33,000 employees across multiple hospitals, mentoring helps us create cross-system connections. Many of our mentorship relationships happen virtually, which allows employees to build meaningful relationships without having to be in the same location.
Lola Tumaini (ANA): Our program is different because it connects nurses across the country, rather than within one hospital. This allows them to seek guidance without concerns about workplace dynamics and realize that many of the challenges they face are not unique to them. This provides confidence, clarity, and a stronger professional network.
Q3: How are your mentoring programs structured?
Jes Logan (Houston Methodist): Our Mentor Match program is open to all employees and uses a self-matching system, where mentees browse suggested mentors and connect with those who best fit their goals. Most mentorships last six months, but they can be extended if needed.
Janelle Wozniak (Mayo Clinic): We offer four different mentoring tracks to meet different employee needs. The platform allows employees to participate in multiple tracks simultaneously, supporting both early-career nurses and leadership development.
Lola Tumaini (ANA): We have two tracks:
- Career Mentoring Program (long-term, structured)
- Flash Mentoring (quick, on-demand connections)
Recently, we integrated these two programs so mentees in long-term programs can use Flash Mentoring for more specialized, goal-oriented guidance.
Q4: What key metrics define a successful mentoring program?
Lola Tumaini (ANA): We track satisfaction surveys at different points:
- 30-day survey: Are participants happy with their match?
- Midpoint survey: Are they actively engaging?
- Closure survey: Was the experience valuable?
Our 92% satisfaction rate tells us that mentoring is making a real impact.
Jes Logan (Houston Methodist): We focus on retention and internal mobility. Since launching our program, we’ve seen a 12% increase in retention and even higher mobility rates, proving that mentoring supports career growth.
Janelle Wozniak (Mayo Clinic): Our goal is to make it easy for employees to access a mentor at any career stage. We track enrollment rates, match quality, and engagement levels to measure success.
Q5: What parts of the Chronus platform have been the most helpful?
Janelle Wozniak (Mayo Clinic): The matching system is by far the most valuable feature. It removes the burden from administrators and empowers mentees to find the right fit. We want people to take ownership of their development and the platform makes that easy.
Jes Logan (Houston Methodist): From an administrator’s perspective, Chronus makes everything easier. I previously managed a mentoring program manually, and it was exhausting—Excel, SharePoint, tracking matches by hand. Chronus eliminates that workload, making it simple to track, report and scale mentoring programs.
We also love how Chronus integrates with Teams, making it easy for employees to schedule and track their meetings. Having everything in one place—match recommendations, goal tracking, messaging and scheduling—makes mentoring seamless.
Lola Tumaini (ANA): The bulk matching and email automation features have been game-changers. Instead of manually pairing mentors and mentees, we can set up automated bulk matching and send targeted email campaigns to keep engagement high. The ability to pull detailed reports quickly has also been incredibly useful.
The Impact of Mentoring in Healthcare
Leading healthcare institutions like Mayo Clinic, Houston Methodist and the ANA are setting the standard for workforce development. By investing in mentoring, they are strengthening careers, reducing stress and retaining top talent ensuring a more resilient future for healthcare.
Here is how they are making an impact:
Houston Methodist (Career Mentoring, 604 participants)
- Increased retention by 12%, improving employee engagement and satisfaction.
- Achieved an 87% enrollment rate, just below the 88% industry benchmark.
- Exceeded engagement expectations with an 85% participation rate, surpassing the 66% benchmark.
Mayo Clinic (Multiple Programs, 374 participants)
- Achieved an 87% enrollment rate, nearing the 88% industry benchmark.
- Reached a 52% match rate, exceeding the 44% benchmark.
American Nurses Association (Career and Flash Mentoring, 1,487 Particpants)
- Fostered career development and engagement with a 92% satisfaction rate among participants.
- Avoided 89 employee turnovers, demonstrating the impact of mentorship on retention.
The discussion made one thing clear—mentoring is no longer optional in healthcare. It is a proven strategy for reducing burnout, improving retention and developing future leaders. Organizations that invest in mentoring see higher engagement, stronger leadership pipelines and greater employee mobility—all critical factors for long-term success.
How Chronus Supports Healthcare Organizations and Workers
Managing a mentoring program at scale presents challenges, from matchmaking and tracking progress to measuring long-term impact. That’s where Chronus comes in.
Chronus provides a secure, scalable and data-driven platform designed to:
- Automate mentor matching, reducing administrative burden
- Track engagement and program impact with built-in reporting tools
- Support multiple mentoring formats (self-matching, flash mentoring, group mentoring)
- Integrate seamlessly with HRIS and learning management systems
By leveraging Chronus, healthcare organizations can eliminate manual processes, increase participation, and drive measurable results. The 92% satisfaction rate and 12% increase in retention reported by our panelists highlight the power of structured, data-driven mentoring programs.
If you’re ready to future-proof your workforce with a scalable, high-impact mentoring program, watch the full webinar for more insights from industry leaders: Watch Now
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