Peer Mentoring Program Research Articles

Development and implementation of a novel peer mentoring program for undergraduate nursing students.

Given the dynamic and high-stress environment of nursing education today, the need arose for the development and implementation of a novel peer mentoring program to support undergraduate nursing students. Peer mentoring refers to a network of support in which a more skilled or experienced person serves as a role model for a less skilled person for professional development and personal growth. Peer mentoring provides a support system that encourages self-confidence and increases self-worth for both the mentee and the mentor. The undergraduate student peer mentoring program in a large, Southeastern United States, university-based, 4-year school of nursing was created in response to a desire for more support conveyed by upper-level nursing students. A model was developed whereby each incoming nursing student (Semester 1) would be paired with a senior nursing student (Semesters 3, 4, or 5). This mentoring dyad was then assigned to a faculty mentor who ensured that the mentoring relationship was functioning in accordance with established guidelines and provided support to both the student mentee and the student mentor. The first cohort was comprised of 20 mentoring dyads. Subsequent cohorts have ranged from 20 to 45 mentoring dyads. To date, over 300 nursing students have participated in the undergraduate peer mentoring program. Based on feedback from student evaluation surveys, both mentors and mentees appreciate and find value in the program. Approximately 93% of student mentors indicated that they would have appreciated such a program when they were first semester nursing students. Some of the challenges of navigating nursing programs are not related to lack of academic aptitude. Rather, other challenges, including lack of social support and soft skills needed to successfully complete the first and second semesters of nursing school. These are critical challenges that a peer mentor could help to meet.

Peer mentoring for smoking cessation in public housing: A mixed-methods study.

Tobacco use disproportionately affects low-income African American communities. The recent public housing smoke-free policy has increased the demand for effective smoking cessation services and programs in such settings. This mixed-method pilot study explored feasibility and potential impact of a peer-mentoring program for smoking cessation in a public housing unit. The quantitative study used a quasi-experimental design while qualitative data were collected via focus group discussions with peer mentors and participants. Three residents of the public housing complex were trained as peer mentors. Each peer mentor recruited up to 10 smokers in the residence and provided them individual support for 12 weeks. All participants were offered Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). A follow-up investigation was conducted 3 months after completion of the 12-week intervention. At baseline and follow-up, the participants' smoking status was measured using self-report and was verified using exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) monitoring. The intervention group was composed of 30 current smokers who received the peer-mentoring intervention. The control group was composed of 14 individuals. Overall mean eCO levels dropped from 26 ppm (SD 19.0) at baseline to 12 (SD 6.0) at follow-up (P < 0.01). Participants who were enrolled in our program were more likely to have non-smoking eCO levels (<7 ppm) at follow-up (23.3%) compared to those who did not enroll (14.3%). Our program is feasible for low-income predominantly African American communities. Using peers as mentors may be helpful in providing services for hard-to-reach populations. Given the non-randomized design of our study, randomized trials are needed to test the efficacy of our program in the future.

Mentoring as an Appropriate Strategy for Medical Faculty Member Development in Higher Education: A Systematic Review.

Human resources development, especially faculty members who play a substantial role in education, is of great importance and can lead to enhanced competence and participation of employees in university affairs. Mentoring is one of the programs that have attracted the attention of activists in this field today. This review aims to integrate the evidence about the goals, methods, implementation steps, and consequences of the mentoring methods for faculty member development in higher education institutions. We used a systematic review in this study. Keywords related to the mentoring program were searched in gateways and databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ERIC from 2000 to 2021. In the initial search, 638 articles were found, and 16 studies were reviewed after excluding those unrelated to the research objective. The results showed that the mentoring program included three stages: "Targeting and Familiarization with the Implementation of the Mentoring Program", "Mentoring Program Implementation", and "Evaluation of the Mentoring Program". The implementation approaches included Traditional One-to-one Mentoring Program, Peer Mentoring Program, and Distance Education Mentoring Program. This study identified the stages and types of mentoring programs and revealed that their employment, especially the distance education mentoring program, led to the advancement of faculty members in various fields. A mixed-method approach to program evaluation can provide more appropriate views of the effects of these programs.

Randomized controlled trial of a group peer mentoring model for U.S. academic medicine research faculty.

Midcareer is a critical transition point for biomedical research faculty and a common dropout point from an NIH-funded career. We report a study to assess the efficacy of a group peer mentoring program for diverse biomedical researchers in academic medicine, seeking to improve vitality, career advancement, and cross-cultural competence. We conducted a stratified randomized controlled trial with a waitlist control group involving 40 purposefully diverse early midcareer research faculty from 16 states who had a first-time NIH R01 (or equivalent) award, a K training grant, or a similar major grant. The yearlong intervention (2 to 3 days quarterly) consisted of facilitated, structured, group peer mentoring. Main study aims were to enhance faculty vitality, self-efficacy in achieving research success, career advancement, mentoring others, and cultural awareness and appreciation of diversity in the workplace. Compared to the control group, the intervention group's increased vitality did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.20), but perceived change in vitality was 1.47 standard deviations higher (D = 1.47, P = 0.03). Self-efficacy for career advancement was higher in the intervention group (D = 0.41, P = 0.05) as was self-efficacy for research (D = 0.57, P = 0.02). The intervention group also valued diversity higher (D = 0.46, P = 0.02), had higher cognitive empathy (D = 0.85, P = 0.03), higher anti-sexism/racism skills (D = 0.71, P = 0.01), and higher self-efficacy in mentoring others (D = 1.14, P = 0.007). The mentoring intervention resulted in meaningful change in important dimensions and skills among a national sample of diverse early midcareer biomedical faculty. This mentoring program holds promise for addressing the urgencies of sustaining faculty vitality and cross-cultural competence.

Reducing staff turnover through the implementation of a peer mentoring program.

Reducing staff turnover through the implementation of a peer mentoring program.

Constellation Mentoring for University Soccer Players: A Case Study

Peer mentoring is a supportive relationship between a more experienced mentor and a less experienced protégé that has garnered attention in recent sport research. Moving beyond traditional mentoring dyads, constellation peer mentoring engages several mentors to provide support to a protégé, ensuring they have access to multiple perspectives and areas of expertise. We implemented a constellation peer-mentoring program with Canadian university student-athletes throughout their competitive seasons. Subsequently, we undertook an instrumental case study to explore participants’ feedback and the perceived benefits of the program. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we interpreted participants’ responses as indicative of traditional mentoring benefits, including reduced transitional stress, feelings of well-being, and feelings of satisfaction. In addition, we determined unique aspects of constellation peer mentoring, such as increased team cohesion, improved help-seeking, an environment that fostered relational mentoring experiences, and the need for leader training. Constellation peer mentoring presents a promising intervention for supporting student-athletes during career transitions.

Facilitating first-year student adjustment: towards a model for intentional peer mentoring.

Attrition of first-year university students remains a global problem, and is also of great concern in South African higher education. In an effort to address this challenge, many higher education institutions offer peer mentoring programs to assist first-year students with their adjustment to university life, in order to improve their retention. However, evidence of the effectiveness of such peer mentoring programs is still limited. This article intends making a contribution in this regard.&#x0D; Stellenbosch University introduced its BeWell Peer Mentoring Program in 2013. In addition to providing psycho-social support, mentors offer developmental initiatives on holistic wellness to assist first-year students with their adjustment. After an institution-wide roll-out of the program, the question arose whether the BeWell Peer Mentoring Program actually assisted first-year students in adjusting to campus life. In order to answer this question a research study with a sequential mixed-method design was employed.&#x0D; Our study found that adjustment outcomes were influenced by the intensity of peer mentoring participating students received. Mentor attributes, time invested in mentoring, reasons for mentoring and the wellness component of the program all influenced the peer mentoring received. The findings underscored the importance of selecting intentional mentors, and effective program implementation and monitoring. A model for intentional peer mentoring is proposed, to optimise the program outcomes. Other institutions with similar programs could also benefit from the proposed model.

Preliminary development and validation of a peer mentoring needs assessment scale for novice nurse faculty

Mentoring is a vital tool in increasing job satisfaction and promoting retention of novice nurse faculty. The aim of this study is to establish the construct validity and internal consistency of a new Novice Faculty Confidence Scale for use in the mentoring of novice nurse faculty. This cross-sectional study was performed at an undergraduate nursing program in the Midwest. The Novice Faculty Confidence Scale was evaluated by six experienced faculty (at least 5 years of experience in the faculty role). Twenty-five items within the four domains of the nurse faculty role (teaching, service, scholarship, and personal support) were identified that could be positively impacted by a peer mentoring program. The items were rated for relevance by the experienced faculty members to establish content validity and internal consistency. The reliability was analyzed for internal consistency and validity was examined for construct validity of the items and the scale as a whole. The Novice Faculty Confidence Scale was found to have high construct validity and internal consistency. The item construct validity indices ranged from 0.5 to 1, producing a scale construct validity index/average of 0.85. Removing the items with an item construct validity index under 0.78 increased the scale construct validity index/average to 0.92 with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.95. This scale is a valid way to identify novice faculty mentoring needs related to the mentee's confidence in teaching, service, scholarship, and personal support.

Perceptions and Aspirations Toward Peer Mentoring in Social Media-Based Electronic Cigarette Cessation Interventions for Adolescents and Young Adults: Focus Group Study.

Social media offer a promising channel to deliver e-cigarette cessation interventions to adolescents and young adults (AYAs); however, interventions delivered on social media face challenges of low participant retention and decreased engagement over time. Peer mentoring has the potential to ameliorate these challenges. The aim of this study was to understand, from both the mentee and potential mentor perspective, the needs, expectations, and concerns of AYAs regarding peer mentoring to inform the development of social media-based peer mentoring interventions for e-cigarette cessation among AYAs. Seven focus groups, including four mentee groups and three potential mentor groups, were conducted with 26 AYAs who had prior experience with e-cigarette use and attempts to quit in the context of a social media-based e-cigarette cessation intervention. Discussion focused on preferred characteristics of peer mentors, expectations about peer mentoring, mentoring mode, mentor training, incentives for peer mentors, preferred social media platforms for intervention delivery, supervision, and concerns. Focus group transcripts were coded and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Overall, participants were receptive to peer mentoring in social media-based cessation interventions and believed they could be helpful in assisting e-cigarette cessation. Participants identified the most important characteristics of peer mentors to be of similar age and to be abstinent from e-cigarette use. Participants expected peer mentors would share personal experiences, provide emotional support, and send check-ins and reminders. Peer mentors supporting a group of mentees in combination with one-on-one mentoring as needed was the preferred mentoring mode. A group of 10 mentees with a mentor:mentee ratio of 1:3-5 was deemed acceptable for most participants. Participants expressed that mentor training should include emotional intelligence, communication skills, and the scientific evidence about e-cigarettes. Although monetary incentives were not the main motivating factor for being a peer mentor, they were viewed as a good way to compensate mentors' time. Instagram was considered an appropriate social media platform to deliver a peer-mentored intervention due to its functionality. Participants did not express many privacy concerns about social media-based peer mentoring, but mentioned that boundaries and community agreements should be set to keep relationships professional. This study reflects the needs and preferences of young people for a peer mentoring intervention to complement a social media program to support e-cigarette cessation. The next step will be to establish the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of such a peer mentoring program.

Influence of programme of study on the adjustment challenges faced by Colleges of Education Students in Eastern region, Ghana

The purpose of the study was to explore the influence of the programme of study on the adjustment challenges faced by colleges of education students in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Using the descriptive research survey design, data were collected from 320 students through an online questionnaire. The Validity of the research instrument was ascertained through a pilot study carried out at Foso College of Education. The reliability coefficient for the questionnaire, estimated through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, was 0.872. The collected data were analysed using ANOVA. The study found that the programme of study had a significant influence on the adjustment challenges faced by colleges of education students in Eastern Region of Ghana. The B.Ed. JHS programme respondents’ adjustment challenges differed significantly from those of the other two programmes (B.Ed. Primary and B.Ed. Early Childhood). The researchers suggested that college counsellors/administrators assess the frequency and intensity of adjustment problems among students, JHS major students especially, so as to assist relevant bodies at colleges of education in Eastern Region in designing appropriate orientation programmes and peer mentoring programmes.

Evolution of a physician wellness, engagement and excellence strategy: lessons learnt in a mental health setting

ObjectiveThis study aims to evaluate the impact of several organisational initiatives implemented as part of a physician engagement, wellness and excellence strategy at a large mental health hospital. Interventions that...

Effectiveness of Peer Mentoring Program on Academic Performance of Grade VII Bhutanese Students

The study explored the effectiveness of peer mentoring program on academic performance of class VII Bhutanese students. It employed mixed method approach with purposive sampling method. A total of 62 students from grade VII participated in the study. The study found out the mean of the differences (pre-test and post-test) was 5.14 (SD = 3.42) and the paired-samples t-test indicated that this mean of the differences is significantly greater than zero (t = 8.36, p = .00, 95% CI[6.39, 3.88]). This indicated that the peer mentoring program had positive impact on academic performance of students. The peer mentoring program also helped students to enhance their communication skills. However, some mentor students mentioned that it was quite hectic when mentees do not cooperate with them.&#x0D; It is recommended that peer mentoring program should be carried out in schools to improve students’ academic performance as well as their communication skills. Further, the present study focused on only some students of grade VII, a study may be carried out across schools to get a deep understanding of the subject.

Effective Facilitated Peer Mentoring Model: From the Mentors' Perspective

Purpose:This study aimed to formulate a framework for a facilitated peer mentoring (FPM) program from the mentors' perception; define the characteristics and roles of the facilitator and his/her mentors, successful FPM relationship, FPM program contents, and strategies for implementation. Methods:The population of the study comprised 19 junior family medicine trainers, who have experience as mentors, and were involved in a focus group study to formulate an FPM program structure. The author conducted this study in the postgraduate family medicine program in the Eastern Province-Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia,2016. Spearman-test tested the coefficient correlation between the characteristics and roles of the facilitator and mentors; a p-value of 0.05 was a significant finding. Results: All participants concluded the answers to the discussion questions in four components: Effective facilitator characteristics and his/her roles; mentors’ characteristics and their roles. There is a positive correlation between these characteristics and roles (p-value= 0.018); successful mentoring relationship factors, contents of the formal FPM program; and a proposed applicable implementation plan. Conclusions: This research plays a role in exploring the FPM program contents and roles in a comprehensive way from the mentors' point of view. It fills the gap in the literature about the FPM program structure in the academic institutes.

QLTI-12. THE IMPACT OF MENTORING ON EARLY CAREER FACULTY: ASSESSMENT OF A VIRTUAL MENTORING PROGRAM

Abstract BACKGROUND Participation in mentorship programs for early career physicians is crucial to developing key skills and professional networks, but availability and opportunities for mentorship may be hampered by racial, ethnic and gender leadership disparities in medicine. A 6-month virtually facilitated peer mentorship program for women and diverse early career faculty was developed and piloted through the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) Women &amp; Diversity Committee. METHODS We designed and conducted a 6-month pilot open to SNO’s multidisciplinary early career members, leveraging peer-mentoring sessions with mid-to late-career physician mentors. A curriculum with online resources was provided and group assignments were based on time-zones and interests. Pre- and post-participation surveys assessed mentee experience and descriptive statistics assessed participant demographics and survey results. Results/ CONCLUSION Twenty mentee applicants participated in 5 groups. Mentees were 90% women, 60% from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. Most were aged 31-40 (75%) and junior faculty (50%) in neuro-oncology (65%). Five mentors (2 female) practiced either neuro-oncology (3), neurosurgery (1) or radiation oncology (1). The proportion of mentees with a signature talk increased from 15% to 71% during the pilot. A large majority (64%) reported a positive impact of the program on their profile, career and networking, and reported participation was worthwhile (86%), and worth recommending to others (93%). Feedback themes included personal growth, peer support, networking, job opportunities, desire for late career female mentors, and scheduling constraints. The virtual environment during a global pandemic allowed participants to connect, creating a venue to discuss topics such as work-life balance, burnout, and self-advocacy. We did not have 100% post pilot follow up despite multiple attempts, limiting complete understanding of the pilot. This virtual mentorship pilot program proved feasible and of value in development of early career women and diverse individuals. A resource toolkit has been designed to scale and diffuse.

Peer Mentoring to Enhance Graduate Students’ Sense of Belonging and Academic Success

Peer mentoring is a learning process wherein a more experienced student provides advice and support to a less experienced student during their academic career. At the graduate level, peer mentoring has been shown to increase social support, career readiness, retention, and graduation rates among first-year students. In spring 2021, the Exercise Science graduate program at Texas State University initiated a peer mentoring program. The participants reported that they felt more integrated in the graduate program. Meeting and socializing with mentor/mentee have enhanced their sense of belonging and relatedness, especially during COVID, when students felt more isolated. The professional relationship made them more prone to return and strive for academic success. This article describes a peer mentoring program that has been successfully implemented in a kinesiology graduate program and makes recommendations for universities to study the impact of peer mentoring on marginalized student well-being, retention, career readiness, and academic success in future research.

Peer-Mentoring: A Call to Create Inclusive Programs to Support All Students' Ability to Be Successful.

Support for diverse nursing students needs to be built into existing peer-mentoring programs to foster success for all students. Students were intentionally matched in a peer-mentoring program, BUDDY-UP, on several factors, which included students' race and ethnicity (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color [BIPOC]) and gender, and whether they were first-generation. Mentors and mentees expressed satisfaction and derived benefits from the intentionally matched mentoring program. Participant comments demonstrated that these are not just extra supports but instead are fundamental to their essential everyday needs and ability to be successful both academically and socially. Incorporating support for all students needs to be a foundational aspect in the development of peer-mentoring programs to support the ability for all students to be successful in nursing education. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(11):633-635.].

Peer Mentor Program Initiative Pilot Year Discoveries: Two Approaches for Engaging Students through Peer Mentoring

Peer Mentor Program Initiative Pilot Year Discoveries: Two Approaches for Engaging Students through Peer Mentoring

Keep adult learners connected to campus with peer mentoring program

Kathy Cavanaugh, Education Program Coordinator for Continuing Education at Pennsylvania State University, Berks, attended community college straight out of high school, earning an associate degree in film production, then worked in the film industry in Los Angeles and New York for several years. Then, after having children, she got a part‐time job at Penn State.

Benefits of Peer-Mentorship for Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students: A Descriptive Study

Background: This study explored the benefits of a new peer-mentorship program designed for Master's-level occupational therapy students.

Effects of Cross-Age Peer Mentoring Program within a Randomized Controlled Trial

This paper summarizes results from an impact study that employed a randomized controlled trial to estimate the efficacy of a cross-age peer mentor program designed to prevent school dropout during the transition from middle to high school. We present findings from the intent-to-treat (ITT) analyses, which included 1,351 ninth-grade students, alongside those of two different methods that estimate the complier average causal effect (CACE) of participating in the program. Although the confirmatory study, which investigated impact on attendance and credit accrual in ninth grade, was null, ITT analyses on exploratory outcomes indicate modest, yet potentially meaningful program impact on ninth-grade outcomes of discipline, school attachment, and expectations of degree attainment across varying dosage levels. CACE estimates also suggest that a threshold level of program participation broadens the program’s impact on additional exploratory academic achievement and social and emotional learning outcomes. Given the adverse effects of the transition to high school, this promising evidence indicates that the cross-age peer mentoring intervention could be an effective strategy for high schools to implement that leverages existing staff and students.