Lonnie Preston Herring III, DNP, MS, CRNA

Abstract:

Background: Ethnic minority students pursuing advanced practice nursing degrees often face unique challenges that hinder their academic success and persistence, such as limited mentorship opportunities that address their cultural considerations. A lack of culturally informed mentorship (CIM) may contribute to feelings of isolation, lower self-efficacy, and reduced retention rates among ethnic minority advanced practice registered nursing (APRN) students. Through cultural competency, CIM programs are emerging as a promising approach to address these challenges and support the needs of historically underrepresented ethnic minority (HUEM) students. The underrepresentation of HUEM APRN students in graduate nursing education and advanced nursing practice is a persistent issue that must be addressed using targeted, evidence-based interventions. This project sought to elucidate this gap by implementing a semi-structured mentorship program tailored to support and empower HUEM APRN students. Objectives: This project demonstrated the implementation of a ten-week culturally informed mentorship program to improve the satisfaction and academic resiliency of HUEM APRN students. A semi-structured mentorship program was based on a culturally informed framework, using evidence from current literature, considering the unique needs, challenges, and experiences of HUEM APRN students. The CIM program’s principal objective was to provide student mentees with mentorship, guidance, support, and advice for academic resources tailored to their unique cultural backgrounds and needs to enhance mentee students’ satisfaction with their educational experience and bolster academic resiliency. Methods: This study utilized a single-group pre-test, post-test, and quasi-experimental project design. A convenience sample of six first-year APRN students, self-identifying as ethnic minorities, was recruited as study participants and paired with individual mentors of their choice. Mentees and mentors completed a Mentor-Mentee Pre-Mentoring Questionnaire to identify preferences, goals, and expectations. Mentors engaged in a CIM mentor training module for cultural competency and mentorship pedagogy. Quantitative data was collected through APRN Graduate Student Mentee Surveys using Likert-scale items to assess the students' satisfaction levels and measure changes in their academic perseverance decisions. Descriptive and non-parametric statistical methods were employed to analyze the data and evaluate the effectiveness of the CIM program. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was used due to the sample size. Summed responses to two open-answer questions provided qualitative data to understand better the students' experiences and perceptions of the mentorship program. Results: Findings suggest HUEM APRN students had several motivations for and expectations from the CIM program. All student participants found the CIM program valuable in helping them achieve these expectations. Though not statistically significant, study results support the idea that participation in a minority mentorship program may improve student satisfaction among HUEM graduate nursing students. Conclusion: The findings from this project may demonstrate the positive association of a CIM program on HUEM APRN student satisfaction and academic retention. Study findings suggest that CIM programs using cultural competency may play a significant role in supporting the needs of ethnic minority APRN students. The implications may highlight the importance of implementing CIM programs to address the unique challenges of ethnic minority APRN students and promote their academic success, ultimately contributing to a more diverse, culturally competent APRN workforce. This study's recommendations may be valuable to nursing educators, practitioners, administrators, and policymakers in enhancing and sustaining institutional mentorship programs for ethnic minority students in graduate nursing education. This study project's findings contribute to the literature on HUEM mentorship programs related to APRN students and provide evidence-based recommendations for future interventions.

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