Mentoring in nursing: an invaluable exchange.

The practice of mentoring in nursing has existed as long as the profession itself (Fields 1991). Florence Nightingale, often credited as the founder of modern nursing, has herself been referred to as the 'mentor of matrons' (Lorentzon and Brown 2003). Mentoring has been a key element to the development of nurses and the nursing profession for centuries and over this time has seen significant change.