Nursing School Mentoring Programs

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hello Nursing Students, Alumni & Working Nurses:

We are seniors in a BSN program in Northern California who are interested in establishing a Student Nurse Mentoring Program at our nursing school. Do/did you have a mentoring program at your nursing school? Would you currently benefit (Students), or would you have benefited (Alumni & working RNs) from such a program at your nursing school? These are the questions we are exploring:

--What services do you think would be/have been most useful?

--What type of support/information would be/have been most helpful?

--What is the best way to promote such a program?

--Suggestions for recruiting mentors?

--Would you be/have been or are you a mentor at your own school?

--As an Alumni/working RN, how do you see yourself as being able to assist/support

student nurses (especially seniors)?

We welcome any and all comments or suggestions. If your nursing school has a Mentoring Program, we would be especially grateful for your insights about what has/hasn't worked in the development and implementation of your program, and how it has been received by your students (both mentor/mentoree perspectives).

Thank you for your time,

RNsToBe

We tried to start a mentoring program at Florida State several years ago. It worked to some degree for a while but nuses who agreed to be mentors did not honor their committments. And the workload for the one person trying to organize it (me) was overwhelming. I now have a program to let students who have an interest in non-hospital pediatrics "shadow" our nurse case managers. It is working well.

Nancy1

131 Posts

When I was in Nursing school (early 90's) we tried to set up a mentoring program. We thought we would model it after big sister-little sister programs. It was a great idea, but it only works if everyone involved wants it to work. We worked with all the students. We were not as successful as I had hoped. We may have been more successful had we taken only students who are interested.

I think that with the right set up it could be very effective. I don't know how alums would feel about spending time with students. I love it and do volunteer to help out student nurses, but then again everyone is not like me NA smile.gif

Naomi, RN

11 Posts

Hello all,

I love the idea, and if there was more support like the program you are proposing, maybe nursing would get away from the idea of "eating our young". I am personally benefiting from a wonderful preceptor and I believe this is making all the difference in the world. A mentoring program would allow student nurses to be involved with a nurse in their area of interest, a big plus, especially for future employment.

When you get this off the ground, put my name on the list, I would gladly consider being a mentor......Naomi, RN (you know where to find me!)

Nancy1

131 Posts

Hi Naomi,

It's great to hear that there is someone else out there who wants to share positive experiences.

I have a unique opportunity in that I have a senior nursing student doing an independent clinical with me as she is interested in LTC management. I was surprised, but it is great.

I hope that she she will feel that this clinical was successful for her. I have to admit that I am enjoying it. I would have given my first born had I been given the insight that I am sharing with her.

I am willing to be an e-mail mentor also. NA

RNsToBe

7 Posts

Hi Naomi,

You wrote:

"I love the idea, and if there was more support like the program you are proposing, maybe nursing would get away from the idea of 'eating our young'." These are my thoughts exactly. I have come to the personal conclusion that nurses need to be "socialized" in nursing school in the value of mentoring for both the mentor and the

mentee. Hopefully, this would be a learned behavior that nurses would carry

into their careers as they become more experienced and be able to give back

to novice nurses. You also said, "When you get this off the ground, put my name on the list, I would gladly consider being a mentor......Naomi, RN (you know where to find me!)"

Thanks for the offer--I will be sure to let you know!.....Jennifer

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