Cross-Curricular Mentoring Between First-Year and Upper-Level Dietetics Students Enhances Alignment with the Academy's Standards of Excellence

Abstract

Describe the benefits of cross-curricular mentoring among undergraduate dietetics students to prepare early-career professionals to uphold the Academy's Standards of Excellence. Mentoring is a tool used in higher education for enriching personal and professional growth. The Academy recognizes the importance of mentoring through its Standards of Excellence. The achievement of these standards requires the development of unique skillsets including communication, leadership, teamwork, use of resources, and application of information. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to assess the effectiveness of formalized peer mentoring between first-year and upper-level undergraduate dietetics students as a tool for preparing early-career professionals to uphold the Academy’s Standards of Excellence. This cross-curricular quality improvement project was conducted in the Fall 2020 semester. Mentors were upper-level dietetics students (n=30) and mentees were first-year dietetics students (n=29). Mentoring activities, both in-person and virtual, included monthly in-class trainings and one-on-one meetings. Data were gathered through student written reflections. Four nutrition professionals (n=2 faculty, 1 graduate student, 1 undergraduate student) analyzed the data using inductive coding and peer consensus during iterative discussion sessions. Common themes among mentors included improved leadership (n=14), communication (n=18), and ability to apply content across the curriculum (n=15). Mentee themes were improved confidence (n=24), organization (n=14), and ability to utilize resources (n=21). The majority of mentors and mentees desired program continuation and expansion. Peer mentoring was perceived as a beneficial tool for both mentees and mentors. Common themes aligned with the Academy’s Standards of Excellence serving to meet the requirements for dietetics education (KRDN 2.8), as well as prepare students for their internship and professional careers (CRDN 2.15).