TITLE:
Effects of Mentorship Training Program in Retaining Healthcare Professionals at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania
AUTHORS:
Amella E. Makundi, Hezron Onyancha, Amembah A. Lamu Amos
KEYWORDS:
Mentorship Training Programme, Healthcare Professionals, Organisational Culture, Retention
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Industrial and Business Management,
Vol.16 No.9,
September
21,
2026
ABSTRACT: This study assessed the contribution of the mentorship training programme to the retention of healthcare professionals at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), Moshi, Tanzania. Guided by Social Exchange Theory, the study employed a convergent mixed-methods design involving doctors, nurses, pharmacists and laboratory scientists. Quantitative participants were selected through proportionate stratified random sampling, while key informants were selected purposively. The instruments were developed from the study objective, theoretical and conceptual frameworks, empirical literature and relevant KCMC documents. A pilot study was conducted at Mawenzi Regional Referral Hospital because it has a referral environment comparable to KCMC while remaining outside the main study site. Expert review established face and content validity, while Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of .784 for the pilot instrument and .826 for the cleaned main-study data demonstrated acceptable to good internal consistency. Ethical clearance and institutional research permission were obtained to protect participants, authorise access to the study setting and ensure compliance with institutional requirements. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression in SPSS version 27, whereas qualitative data from key-informant interviews and open-ended responses were analysed thematically using NVivo version 12. The findings indicated that mentorship was positively associated with regular guidance and feedback, clinical-skill development, understanding of organisational culture, job satisfaction, organisational commitment and willingness to recommend KCMC. The regression model was statistically significant, F (3, 216) = 23.017, p 2 = .242). Clinical-skill development was the strongest predictor (B = .173, β = .262, p p = .001) and regular guidance and feedback (B = .120, β = .176, p = .009). All three null hypotheses were rejected. The study concludes that mentorship makes a significant but partial contribution to healthcare-professional retention at KCMC. Its contribution is likely to be stronger when combined with adequate remuneration, recognition, career development and supportive working conditions. The study recommends formalising mentorship through institutional policy, preparing mentors, providing protected mentorship time, documenting mentorship activities and integrating mentorship into a broader workforce-retention strategy.