The Importance of Mentorship for Hispanic and Latino/a Nurses

The right mentor provides experience, perspective, connections, and insights that can make all the difference in your nursing career. However, as some communities of color have found, including Hispanic or Latino/a nurses, it can be more challenging to find a sense of belonging in a nursing environment.

“I knew from a very young age that I wanted to be a nurse, but I did not personally know any nurses that I could talk to,” says Mayra G. Garcia, a pediatric clinical nurse specialist working at Children’s Hospital in Dallas, Texas.

Garcia is not alone in this struggle. Mentorship is critical for fostering a sense of belonging.

On this page, we discuss the importance of mentorship in nursing, particularly for the next generation of Hispanic and Latino/a nurses.

Like some other communities of color, Hispanic and Latino/a nurses face several barriers to entering the nursing field, including:

While it is difficult to enter the profession, Adrianna Nava, Ph.D., president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN), notes that it is even more difficult to rise to leadership positions within it, especially for women nurses.

“It is well documented that barriers to leadership exist for women, but these barriers become even greater to overcome when an aspiring leader is a woman and a racial or ethnic minority,” Nava explains. “Being able to see a Latina/o in a position of leadership empowers others to strive for loftier goals.”

Encouraging Latino/a mentorship in nursing can help address these barriers. Reducing these barriers can lead to better healthcare outcomes as a more diverse workforce can offer better cultural competence in nursing care.

Being underrepresented in the workplace can be intimidating, whether you differ from your peers by age, gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, or other factors. Many Hispanic nurses do not see people like themselves in nursing, especially in senior leadership positions. The lack of representation can stifle their ability to visualize their own potential.

“It is important for aspiring nurses to see nurses in leadership positions leading efforts in their communities, hospitals, and organizations, so that they too can be inspired and motivated to pursue a career in nursing,” Garcia explains.

Representation leads to a feeling of purpose and possibility in any field. The lack of Latino/a professionals in these roles, however, leads to Latino/a nurses feeling like they don’t belong, as Susana González, MHA, MSN, RN, CNML, describes.

Mentorship is one of the key ways to create a sense of belonging. However, Nava points out that because there is an underrepresentation of Latino/a nurses in the nursing profession, it can be difficult to find Latino/a role models or in leadership positions to mentor aspiring students in their local communities.

Stefanie Gatica, DNP, FNP-C, has been working as a nurse for 30 years in areas lacking Latino/a nurses in the healthcare space. Along with Nava, she also recognizes a significant need for more representation and mentorship in nursing since she experienced a lack of support in her workplace.

Seeing this need for representation and mentorship, NAHN supports Hispanic nursing mentorship by connecting aspiring and early career Latino/a nurses with experienced nurses.

Professional nursing organizations like NAHN work to fill the need for mentorship among Hispanic nurses. Besides formal mentoring opportunities provided by NAHN, this organization also offers leadership opportunities for early career nurses at the chapter and national levels.

To become a mentor or find a mentor, you can sign up with NAHN’s formal mentoring program or participate in virtual or in-person networking events at local chapters, national conferences, or through discussion forums. NAHN also manages the “Hispanic Role Models in Health Care Careers” from the National Institutes of Health Science Education Partnership Award Grant.

The association promotes Latino/a mentorship in nursing by providing various platforms and tools. Even if a member does not participate in a formal or long-term mentor relationship, they may have access to advisors for particular questions or concerns.

Mentorship in nursing is too important to leave to chance. First, consider what you need, such as advice about school, job hunting, selecting a specialty, or professional or career development. Look for a mentor who has experience in these areas.

When choosing a mentor, consider whether the person has:

Carli Zegers, Ph.D., NAHN national treasurer, advises aspiring mentees to feel empowered to advocate for their needs.

“Be ready to do the work,” Zegers says. “Being a mentee is not passive but very active and should guide the agenda and needs, so it is important to be organized and take initiative.”

When you are in a position to become a nurse mentor yourself, be ready to pass on the favor. Being a mentor can help you grow as an authority figure in the nursing profession, expand your network, and help build the culture of Hispanic and Latino/a mentorship in nursing, which benefits everybody.