relationships early in their nursing journey but also contributes to their personal growth and well-being as they transition into the demanding field of nursing.
Background
Transitioning into a nursing program can be a big step, one that has a significant impact on students’ academic success and well-being. McDonald et al.( 2018) showed that nursing students who move away for school often face extra challenges, including difficulty adjusting academically and dealing with more stress. This highlights how important it is for students to receive structured support right from the start.
The lack of studies on the unique pressures students face when they first enter nursing school suggests that schools could do more to support new students by offering mentorship programs that help them build resilience and feel a sense of belonging. This is especially important in settings like UMSON @ USG, where nursing students share facilities with other majors and only have one dedicated nursing building. For new nursing students, this setup can lead to feelings of isolation, which makes a structured mentorship even more valuable.
Mentorship can address many student needs during this transition. Peer mentorship promotes learning in a social setting, receiving support, making meaningful connections, and building a sense of community( Jacobs, 2017). Mentorship offers a safe space where students can connect with experienced peers, strengthen their critical thinking skills, and develop deeper learning habits. By helping students form connections and feel less anxious, peer mentorship creates the kind of supportive environment that’ s essential in nursing. Each semester, UMANS has a Mentor-Mentee Program pairing first year students with second year students. However, the UMANS board identified a need to increase engagement in the program.
In the past, UMANS hosted Speed Friending events to help nursing students meet one another. Speed Friending is the name given to a social networking event where students are paired for a short period of time( 3-5 minutes) to discuss a specific prompt. UMANS held its first Speed Friending event on November 22, 2022, to help nursing students connect and build supportive relationships. Additional events followed on February 7, 2023, September 26, 2023, and February 6, 2024. The February 6 event drew our largest turnout of 46 students. Therefore, UMANS decided to redesign the Speed Friending event in a way that would facilitate increased engagement in the Mentor-Mentee Program.
Methods
The Speed Friending event combined with the Mentor-Mentee Program was a collaboration between the BTN co-chairs and the Committee chairs of the UMANS. The UMANS public relations( PR) Chairs promoted the event through the UMSON @ USG email, the UMANS Instagram posts, and flyers posted on campus. On September 3, 2024, a total of 64 students from all cohorts attended the Speed Friending event. Students were paired based on their semester, with first and second-semester students( prospective mentees) seated next to pink stickers, while third and fourth-semester students( prospective mentors) sat across from them next to blue stickers. This setup made it easy to distinguish different cohorts in the room. For each round, the prompts encouraged students to share their interests and experiences with nursing school, adding a personal touch to the conversations.
Results
This Speed Friending event, combined with the Mentor-Mentee Program, had the highest attendance of all UMANS Speed Friending events to date. Additionally, by the end of the event, 19 students mentioned they were interested in signing up for the Mentor-Mentee Program, and 9 mentor-mentee pairs were formed. By the end of the peer mentoring program sign-up, a total of 26 mentor-mentee pairs were established compared to the 19 pairings in Spring 2024, an increase of 7 pairs, which included an additional 14 students who participated in this program.
Implications
Combining the Speed Friending event with the Mentor-Mentee Program turned out to be a great way to help nursing students feel connected and supported while also increasing engagement in the UMANS Mentor-Mentee Program. Bringing mentorship into a social setting allowed students to meet face-to-face, making it easier and more natural to start relationships. We learned that a structured format with prompts encourages participation, and follow-up reminders were key to keeping students engaged. Some challenges remain, like low initial response rates and the need for more mentors, but we are planning to work on these by expanding outreach and creating more chances for students to meet potential mentors.
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