Setting up a Mentorship Program for an ADN school

[FCMike11, BSN]

Last year I graduated from a 2 year ADN RN program, I am looking to add leadership etc experience to my resume, I suggested to one of my old instructors that I could implement a mentor ship program. The idea is to set up a program where 2nd year students will mentor 1st year students, response has been good with 33 of their 85 size second year class do want to participate.

Only problem is how do I make something that will be 1) Long lasting, IE I can make the foundation but will be sustainable, 2) Relevent and practical, to get 1st year students to attend it will have to be something that will help them pass their tests, 3) Some sort of incentives for the 2nd year students assisting them (one instructor already has something in place that they will recieve a "certificate")

Ideas? A couple things bouncing off my head, for starters we could have something once a week we have X classroom designated for X hours (maybe 2-3?) where 1st year students bring coursework particuarly troubling them or whatever the case may be, with as many 2nd year students showing up to help.

I want this to be relaxed, discussion related type of program, they are all students so somehow they would be allow to decide what we cover. Additionally we could meet once a month formally, somehow maybe I could break the 1st year students (or they do it themselves) into groups and we present case studies? We could go over NCLEX questions, testing strategies so on and so forth.

This is what i've came up with today, all responses will be very helpful....if you have any questions on something I didnt clarify, please ask!

[assidere]

If you have any kind of student group (At ECU, we had ECANS or East Carolina Associaiton of Nursign Students, AAMN or American Assembly for Men in Nursing, NCF or Nurses Christian Fellowship, and several minority student groups such as AA, latino, etc), they already have a structured environment. You could partner with them...

[LoveMyBugs, BSN, CNA, RN]

My NS had a mentorship program in place when I was there. An instructor helped with managing the program.

A 2nd year students was selected each year to manage the program and match mentor and mentee.

As soon as the incoming class was known and one of the orientation days they would have an opportunity to sign up for a mentor, and were given a deadline to sign up.

Once they were all in they were matched up with a 2nd year who signed up to be a mentor.

They did a couple of get togethers get to know you type things, the mentors usually served as a sorce of information for the new students to ask all of their questions.

Like is this instrucotor always like this? really I need to be at clinicals 10min early then the stated time? When they (instructors) say this do they really mean it? What do you mean nursing school owns my soul for the next 2 years?

The mentors would get a certificate at graduation and a special pin at pinning, plus as the instructors would love to point out another thing to add to that resume

[lovesroses]

My program has it set up where the final semester students are paired with volunteer mentees from the first semester students. I have only met with my mentor once since it just started yesterday (they drew for us since there are more of us than them) but it was a little "mixer" boxed lunch. They do it for a grade (used to be optional but not enough seniors signed up) and I do it to have someone who has "been there" and can answer my questions and give me advice. For their graded portion we had to come up with 4 or 5 goals that I wanted to accomplish (learn how to study for nursing tests, get better at time management, etc) and we exchanged contact information. Graded wise, aside from the 3 mandatory mass meetings we have to make contact 4 other times throughout the semester. And I think I have to do an eval on my mentor at the end.