The Impact of Peer Mentoring on Nursing Student Success

Authors: Kennedy Sparks, Sabrina Caine, Michael Morton

SUNY Campus: Erie Community College

Presentation Type: Oral

Location: UUW 324

Presentation #: 4

Timeslot: Session B 10:15-11:15 AM

Abstract: Despite being faced with a looming shortage of 40,000 nurses by 2030 (ny.gov), New York’s nursing schools continue to produce too few graduates. While a variety of factors are contributing to this problem, improved retention of existing nursing students presents an effective means to boost RN numbers without additional resources. For example, at SUNY Erie only 61% of nursing students graduate the two-year program within three years. Despite being highly selective on nursing admissions, the school loses many of these students in their first semester. Through conversations with new students, the study authors hypothesized that peer-based mentoring and coaching improves Level 1 retention rates. To test the hypothesis, the authors created the “Skills for Success” peer mentoring program; a program focused on written and skills exam preparation. The students were given testing strategies and mock assessments, which provided the opportunity to refine skills before testing. The evaluation showed that participants’ confidence in their abilities had increased significantly, with 80% of the class participating in at least 1 workshop and 20% attending all the workshops offered. Upon completion, participants were surveyed on their confidence level and the responses showed 100% improvement. In turn, this translated to passing scores and enhanced testing experiences for students. The outcome of the “Skills for Success” program proved its effectiveness in easing transition into nursing school. Transitional support has shown to be the difference in improving confidence, performance, and retention of nursing students in New York State programs.