Statement of the problem. In health care organizations, as in other workplaces, there are concerns about job satisfaction. The literature supports the popularity and concept of mentoring as a means to increase job satisfaction. Clinical nurse specialists are nurse experts who are responsible for assuring quality of patient care and assisting nurses at all levels of performance. Since the preparation of these specialists varies, an effective means to bridge the gap between novice and expert is mentoring. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in job satisfaction between clinical nurse specialists who were mentored and those who were not mentored.

Procedure. This study presented a historical perspective of clinical nurse specialists, mentoring and job satisfaction. The method of study was quantitative research, specifically a comparative evaluative survey. A 21 item Job Satisfaction Survey and 14 item Quality of Mentoring Tool were developed by the researcher and validated by a panel of clinical nurse specialist experts. Reliability of the tools was assured. A sample population was identified and surveys were submitted by mail to clinical nurse specialists throughout the United States. Responses received from 519 subjects were compiled and analyzed based on participation in a mentoring situation, expressed job satisfaction, Job Satisfaction Survey scores, participation in a support group, Quality of Mentoring tool, and selected demographic data.

Findings. Data showed that clinical nurse specialists who Participated in a mentoring situation indicated a Significantly higher acknowledgment of job satisfaction and had significantly higher Job Satisfaction Survey scores compared to clinical nurse specialists who did not participate in that type of relationship. In addition, clinical nurse specialists who participated in support groups had significantly higher Job Satisfaction Survey scores. Significant relationships were also demonstrated between participation in a mentoring situation, expressed job satisfaction, the Job Satisfaction Survey score and selected demographic characteristics.

Although the results of this study are not conclusive, the data suggest that Participation in a mentoring situation may Positively effect the job satisfaction of clinical nurse specialists. Further research studies are indicated.