Boosting your career with a mentor.

Mentoring is the last topic in a series of six articles designed to help orthopaedic nurses adjust career goals and strengthen their professional and personal achievements. Becoming a protege to an experienced and successful person can be the linchpin that helps bring together the other elements-resume writing, job interviews, critical thinking, networking, and going back to school-you need to achieve your full potential. This article describes what to look for and expect from a mentor, how-to be a good protege, and the mentor-protege relationship. The author uses her personal experience as a mentor and protege to describe the risks and rewards of this influential relationship.