African American Decision Makers in Healthcare: Exploring the Impact of Mentoring on Professional Advancement

This qualitative case study explored the impact of mentoring on professional advancement among African Americans healthcare professionals. A nonrandom purposeful sample was used to identify 21 African American hospital decision makers employed in the specialty areas of nursing, medicine, pharmacy, and administration. Two central research questions were used to explore the role of mentoring on professional advancement and the participants' perception of the importance of mentorship and empowerment on their professional advancement. Data was analyzed using Moustakas (1994) modified van Kaam method of analysis. Results of the study showed that mentoring plays an important role in the professional advancement of African American hospital professionals. Additionally, the study participants believed that mentoring empowers African Americans for professional advancement.