Mentoring to engage diverse undergraduate nursing students in honors research

Abstract

Background A diverse workforce is necessary to reflect our communities and impact the health disparities of our increasingly diverse populations. Students from ethnic minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds face many challenges and barriers to their academic success. Faculty must try new ways of supporting the engagement of this student population to positively affect quality outcomes for the entire community. Methods High‐performing students were recruited from undergraduate research courses to participate in a study to determine how honors research mentoring programs affect the engagement of undergraduate nursing students from ethnic minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Findings Study participants who were mentored for 3 years had a retention rate of 98%, compared to a rate of 73% in the year before the start of the mentoring initiative with faculty. NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination)‐RN pass rates were 95% for those in the mentoring program, compared to 84% for those not mentored. Of the students completing the program and passing the NCLEX‐RN, 100% are employed in the local community. Conclusions A competent and diverse nursing workforce is a priority for eliminating health disparities in rural and underserved communities. Supporting ethnic minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged students is valuable to bridging this gap and positively influencing our communities.

Midwives Mentoring Midwives: A Review of the Evidence and Best Practice Recommendations

“…The evidence is also strong that mentoring significantly improves career advancement, 3,7 and specifically academic success, of students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or persons of color (BIPOC) 8–10 . Among BIPOC nursing students, mentorship has been associated with higher rates of retention, graduation, and passing the nursing licensure examination 8,11 …”

“…In health professional‐student relationships, reported benefits of mentoring for student mentees include skill acquisition, greater understanding of the professional role, acclimation to the culture of the health profession, and personal and professional development 5,6 . The evidence is also strong that mentoring significantly improves career advancement, 3,7 and specifically academic success, of students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or persons of color (BIPOC) 8–10 . Among BIPOC nursing students, mentorship has been associated with higher rates of retention, graduation, and passing the nursing licensure examination 8,11 …”