Creating Healthy Work Environments for New BSN-DNP Students Through a Student-Led Mentorship Program
Other Titles
Rapid Presentation Round
Abstract
Background: Graduate students experience unique stressors that affect the decision to complete their programs. These include acclimation to the graduate school environment, coursework, and life balance. Attrition rates between 2006-2015 for DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) programs were 13.3-23.8% and 19.2% for BSN-DNP students with most dropping within 2 years. A possible solution to increased attrition could be to help decrease feelings of isolation and support student acclimation. Literature shows mentorship is an effective strategy for graduate nursing programs that results in decreased stress and anxiety, improvement in self-confidence, and improved adjustment to the educational environment. A student led peer mentorship program within a BSN-DNP program paired second-year students with incoming new graduate students to supply support, guidance, and inspiration.
Methods: The mentorship program's purpose is to decrease stress and increase engagement for the incoming students through peer-to-peer mentorship. First-year BSN-DNP students conducted a literature review for possible interventions. The idea of a student-led graduate mentorship program was born. Developed and implemented by second-year students, the program provided student mentors for incoming students. Volunteers were solicited through an interest survey and a matching survey was conducted to create mentor-mentee pairs. Mentors shared their knowledge and experience of the DNP program with their mentees. A final survey was deployed at the end of each semester to evaluate and make strategic improvements for subsequent years.
Results: 11 mentor/mentee pairs were created in the inaugural year of the mentorship program. All 11 pairs completed the entire year with no absences or withdrawals. Surveys were deployed at the mid-point and end of the academic year for program evaluation. The participant response rate was 83.3% with 65% of those indicating they were either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the program. The consensus amongst participants was that the program was important. Mentees reported that communication with their mentors provided support and relief in their first semester. Reported challenges included setting up first contact and maintaining consistent communication. Suggested resources included having informal talking points and adhering to a timeline for mentor-mentee communication.
Conclusion: A student-led BSN-DNP mentorship program can help reduce stress and increase engagement for the incoming student, as shown by the high participant response rate and qualitative feedback from the 11 mentor/mentee pairs. As the program continues to grow, further analysis will help expand the reach of student-led mentorship.
Notes
Presenter notes included in slide deck.
References: Cheek, R. E., Walsh Dotson, J., & Ogilivie, L. A. (2016). Continuing education for mentors and a mentoring program for RN-to-BSN students.
Covelli, A. F., Flaherty, S., & McNelis, A. M. (2021). An innovative distance-based mentorship program for nurse practitioner student-alumni pairs. Nurse Education Perspectives, 42(6), E57 – E59.
Kramer, D., Hillman, S. M., & Zavala, M. (2018). Developing a culture of caring and support through a peer mentorship program. Journal of Nursing Education, 57(7), 430 – 435.
Latham, C. L., Singh, H., & Ringle, K. K. (2016). Enhancing the educational environment for diverse nursing students through mentoring and shared governance. Journal of Nursing Education, 55(11), 605 – 614.
Nelson, Y., Mohan, A, & Chahir, Y. (2021). The mentoring experience: Perceptions of African American nurse leaders and student mentees. Journal of Nursing Education, 60(1), 25 – 28.
Rohatinsky, N., Harding, K., & Carriere, T. (2017). Nursing student peer mentorship: A review of the literature. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 25(1), 61 – 77. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 47(6), 272 – 277.
Walker, D., & Verklan, T. (2016). Peer mentoring during practicum to reduce anxiety in first-semester nursing students. Journal of Nursing Education, 55(11), 651 – 654.
Yüksel, A. & Bahadir-Yilmaz, E. (2019). The effect of mentoring program on adjustment to university and ways of coping with stress in nursing students: A quasi-experimental study. Nurse Education Today, 80, 52 – 58.
Sigma Membership
Epsilon
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Nursing Students, Nursing Education, Mentorship, Doctoral Nursing Education, Peer Group, Peer Mentoring
Recommended Citation
Martin, Daniel W.; Connors, Christopher H.; Keaton, Jocelyn; and Tussing, Todd, "Creating Healthy Work Environments for New BSN-DNP Students Through a Student-Led Mentorship Program" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 22.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2024/presentations_2024/22
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2024
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-02-12
Creating Healthy Work Environments for New BSN-DNP Students Through a Student-Led Mentorship Program
Washington, DC, USA
Background: Graduate students experience unique stressors that affect the decision to complete their programs. These include acclimation to the graduate school environment, coursework, and life balance. Attrition rates between 2006-2015 for DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) programs were 13.3-23.8% and 19.2% for BSN-DNP students with most dropping within 2 years. A possible solution to increased attrition could be to help decrease feelings of isolation and support student acclimation. Literature shows mentorship is an effective strategy for graduate nursing programs that results in decreased stress and anxiety, improvement in self-confidence, and improved adjustment to the educational environment. A student led peer mentorship program within a BSN-DNP program paired second-year students with incoming new graduate students to supply support, guidance, and inspiration.
Methods: The mentorship program's purpose is to decrease stress and increase engagement for the incoming students through peer-to-peer mentorship. First-year BSN-DNP students conducted a literature review for possible interventions. The idea of a student-led graduate mentorship program was born. Developed and implemented by second-year students, the program provided student mentors for incoming students. Volunteers were solicited through an interest survey and a matching survey was conducted to create mentor-mentee pairs. Mentors shared their knowledge and experience of the DNP program with their mentees. A final survey was deployed at the end of each semester to evaluate and make strategic improvements for subsequent years.
Results: 11 mentor/mentee pairs were created in the inaugural year of the mentorship program. All 11 pairs completed the entire year with no absences or withdrawals. Surveys were deployed at the mid-point and end of the academic year for program evaluation. The participant response rate was 83.3% with 65% of those indicating they were either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the program. The consensus amongst participants was that the program was important. Mentees reported that communication with their mentors provided support and relief in their first semester. Reported challenges included setting up first contact and maintaining consistent communication. Suggested resources included having informal talking points and adhering to a timeline for mentor-mentee communication.
Conclusion: A student-led BSN-DNP mentorship program can help reduce stress and increase engagement for the incoming student, as shown by the high participant response rate and qualitative feedback from the 11 mentor/mentee pairs. As the program continues to grow, further analysis will help expand the reach of student-led mentorship.
Description
Beginning in 2021 at a College of Nursing BSN-DNP program, students developed, deployed, and evaluated a student-led peer-to-peer mentorship program that pairs new graduate students with experienced students. The genesis, process, and evolution of the program will be discussed.