mentor | Frontier Nursing University

The Benefits of Being a Mentor

“Being a mentor allows me to experience the brilliance and determination of our students in new ways,” said course faculty Lauren Arrington, DNP, CNM, “My mentee and I have discovered new approaches to navigate the challenging balance of work, life, and school. My mentee has already made valuable contributions to the field of nursing and community health, and I find myself inspired and motivated to ensure her success. She embodies the innovation and love for humanity that our healthcare system needs. It's an honor to be a mentor.”

“I am fortunate to be involved in the FNU mentoring program and to be partnered with mentees who come with varied knowledge, skill, and experience,” said Dr. Diane John, FNU Course Faculty (2021) and Mentor. “Mentoring extends far beyond the traditional one-way model where the mentor predominantly serves as a role model, with the sole purpose to serve as the expert. It is my goal to meet mentees where they are, to listen, to collaborate, to guide, and to learn. This has certainly been the case with the FNU mentoring program that allows the mentor and the mentee to engage in an experience designed to meet individual goals and objectives.”

The Benefits of Being Mentored

“I started the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Program in Summer 2020,” said Dorcas Adeniyi, BSN, RN, PMHNP Class 196. “The day that I started the Frontier Bound orientation, I was full of excitement with a promising future ahead. All of the professors that did orientation for us on those three wonderful days were excellent, but there was a fear of survival. My heart was full of fear of the unknown, and how I will survive the program and be able to achieve my goals. To my surprise, I got an email from the University inviting me to join the mentoring programs. Having a mentor has given me assurance, served as a resource, exposed me to what I need to know about the program, and showed me the way to the future. Since I have been assigned to Dr. John, I have never regretted having a mentor. Dr. John has met with me several times to see how I am doing and to check if I have any difficulty with my courses. Dr. John has introduced me to the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) because I love serving the underserved such as the people who lack access to care and insurance and live in rural and remote areas. I was fortunate to attend the NRHA webinar and learn how to serve these people and how to establish my own private clinic in the future because these are my future goals.

As a PMHNP student, I have been taught that PMHNPs are role models, educators, and leaders in the curriculum. Therefore, I have been exposed to preparing a poster for teaching and educating purposes by Dr. John. Dr. John and I are looking forward to presenting our poster titled “Traumatic Stress Prevention” in 2022. I am thankful for the privilege to have a mentor at Frontier Nursing University. I did not take the mentoring program for granted.”

"For years, I've advocated for mentoring programs wherever I go and have mentored others, but I've never had my own mentor," Kimether Redmon said. "It’s very exciting!"

Be sure check out Part 1 of this blog which highlights the details of the mentoring programs!

Benefits of being a Mentee

Gain practical advice, encouragement, and support
Learn from the experiences of others
Increase your social and academic confidence
Become more empowered to make decisions
Develop your communication, study, and personal skills
Develop strategies for dealing with both personal and academic issues
Identify goals and establish a sense of direction
Gain valuable insight into the next stage of your university career

Benefits of being a Mentor

Improve communication and personal skills
Develop leadership and management qualities
Reinforce your own study skills and knowledge of your subject(s)
Increase your confidence and motivation
Engage in a volunteering opportunity, valued by employers
Enhance your CV
Increase your circle of friends
Gain recognition for your skills and experience
Benefit from a sense of fulfillment and personal growth

The community at Frontier Nursing University (FNU) understands and appreciates the positive role mentorship plays in preparing competent, entrepreneurial, ethical and compassionate leaders in primary care. The University has launched two programs to support underrepresented students, including FNU’s Professional Organization Mentoring Program (POMP) and the Comprehensive Mentoring Program. This blog highlights the details of the programs, and part two will share the experiences of both mentors and mentees.

In an effort to create even stronger interaction and connection between students and faculty, FNU’s Professional Organization Mentoring Program (POMP) was created in 2018. POMP matches FNU faculty with underrepresented nurse practitioner and nurse-midwifery students to provide support and mentorship. The program allows students to join a professional organization in their field, as well as gives them the opportunity to attend a professional conference with their mentors, with conference registration and professional membership fees covered. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, POMP has been redesigned to allow participating students to attend conferences virtually with faculty mentor guidance.

Frontier has also launched the Comprehensive Mentoring Program, a pilot program initiated via funds from the Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD) grant. This program is designed to support and retain students from underrepresented groups, by meeting their specific professional and academic needs The goal of the program is to form an ongoing relationship between mentor and mentee and expose the mentee to other means of mentoring to continue support and lifelong learning.

While the program is a pilot, it is expected to be fully implemented beyond the NWD grant period.

Expectations for both the mentors and mentees are well-defined and presented to all program participants.

Student mentees are expected to:

Create an essay to explicate their need for a mentor (no more than 500 words)
List at least 3 individualized professional and/or program-specific goals
Meet with the mentor at least once a month for 1 hour for 1 year
Complete an evaluation of the FNU Comprehensive Mentoring Program every 3 months

Mentors will be expected to:

Attend one mandatory professional mentor education and training session offered by FNU
Participate in the mentoring program for at least 1 year
Mentor at least 2 students
Meet with mentees at least once a month for at least 1 hour for 1 year
Document meetings and activities with mentees
Expose mentees to internal and external professional activities
Assist mentees with programmatic needs
Complete an evaluation of the FNU Comprehensive Mentoring Program every 3 months

The implementation of mentoring programs at FNU has positively impacted the retention rate for students of color which is currently 84 percent, exceeding our goal of 80 percent.

Many students like Kimether Redmon have benefitted from the mentoring program.

"For years, I've advocated for mentoring programs wherever I go and have mentored others, but I've never had my own mentor," Redmon said. "It’s very exciting!"

Check out Part 2 of this series which will share more detailed stories of students and mentors.

Benefits of being a Mentee