Mentorship | Frontier Nursing University

FNU Mentoring Programs Seek to Improve Retention and Encourage Lifelong Learning – PART 2

October 4, 2021 By 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

FNU Mentoring Programs Seek to Improve Retention and Encourage Lifelong Learning – PART 1

September 30, 2021 By Frontier Nursing University

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

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

FNU PRIDE Students Attend NBNA and NAHN Conferences

August 30, 2018 By frontieredu

Students, staff and faculty in the Frontier Nursing University (FNU) PRIDE Program represented FNU at two nurse association conferences in July.

The PRIDE Program at FNU promotes diversity in nursing and nurse-midwifery by recruiting and retaining underrepresented students with the goal of becoming nurse-midwives or nurse practitioners.

PRIDE members attended both the National Black Nurses Association and the National Association of Hispanic Nurses annual meetings in July of 2018.

FNU booth representatives with NBNA President Eric J. Williams

The 46th annual National Black Nurses Association Conference and Exhibit was held in St. Louis from July 31 – August 5. FNU Diversity PRIDE Program Coordinator, Wilvena Bernard, along with FNU Faculty Dr. Diane John and FNU PRIDE Student Ambassador Homecia St. Clair, attended the conference. The trio represented FNU as they gave out information to prospective students on the DNP program and employment opportunities at the university.

FNU students at NBNA

FNU also sent students from the NWD HRSA Professional Mentorship program to the NBNA conference. The mentorship program is a new university initiative to connect currently enrolled nursing students with faculty mentors at FNU. The mentorship program allowed FNU students Shani Pitts, Essence Williams, Catherine Orji and Ameenah Jackson to attend the conference with faculty mentor Dr. Tracy Hicks. Each left with invaluable experiences.

Student Ameenah Jackson presents at NBNA

Student Catherine Orji attended a Nurse Doctorate Symposium as part of her NBNA itinerary.

“l have a deeper understanding of the difference between a doctoral prepared nurse DNP and a PHD nurse,” she said. “l also embrace the importance of networking in my career.”

During the conference, student Ameenah Jackson presented a session entitled “A Nursing Call to Action: Black Maternal Mortality Crises.” Wilvena Bernard and Dr. John gave a presentation called “Unconscious Bias: The Impact of Communication and Healthcare Outcomes.” Both sessions received an enthusiastic regards from attendees.

FNU students also received honors at the conference. PRIDE member Essence Williams, RN, BSN, CBC, CCE, SNM was presented with the NBNA “Under 40” Award, and newly-admitted student Crystal Norman, BSN, RNC-OB received the “Staff Nurse of the Year” Award.

See photos from FNU at the NBNA Conference

FNU booth representatives at NAHN

On the same weekend, the 43rd annual National Association of Hispanic Nurses Meeting and Exhibition was held in Cleveland, Ohio. The conference began July 31 and concluded August 3. FNU Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Dr. Maria Valentin-Welch attended as a mentor for several students in the NWD mentorship program, and all represented FNU with information on its specialty tracks and educational opportunities.

FNU attendees with NAHN President Anabell Castro-Thompson

The students attending through the mentorship program were Leticia Fernandez, Onidis Lopez, Elizabeth Martinez, Elizabeth Aviles, Martha Travieso, & Kalena Lanuza.

This year’s conference theme, “Latino Health Care: Advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity,” focused on addressing timely issues surrounding Latino healthcare regarding equity, diversity and inclusivity to bring awareness to health inequities affecting Hispanic communities of color.

Students attended workshops and sessions diving into that theme, and came away with powerful reflections.

Kalena, a DNP student at FNU, created a video sharing a synopsis of what she learned at the conference and why her mentorship experience was important.

FNU students with renowned Nursing Caring Theorist Dr. Jean Watson

“Seeing a group of dedicated, mostly Latino nurses, working together to navigate the current healthcare nursing landscape, while seeing to it that their cultural values and traditions were infused into the process was one of the highlights of this experience!,” she said.

See photos from FNU at the NAHN Meeting

Thanks to our students and mentors who attended and represented FNU!