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The number of autistic students in colleges is growing rapidly. However, their needs are not being met, and graduation rates among this population remain low. This article describes the implementation and evaluation of the Autism Mentorship Initiative (AMI) for autistic undergraduates (mentees), who received 1-on-1 support from upper-level undergraduate or graduate students (mentors) at their university. We examined changes in college adjustment (n = 16) and grade point average among mentees (n = 19) before and after participation in AMI for two or more semesters. We also examined surveys completed by both mentees (n = 16) and mentors (n = 21) evaluating their experiences in AMI. Data from the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire showed that mentees displayed lower than average social, emotional, and academic adjustment to college compared with neurotypical norms, but participation in AMI resulted in notable gains in all facets of college adjustment. Survey data revealed that both mentors and mentees reported personal, academic, and professional benefits from participating in AMI. However, no improvements in academic achievement of the mentees were found. This study provided preliminary evidence for the benefits of an easily implemented and cost-effective peer mentorship program for autistic students in a college setting. LAY SUMMARY: WHY WAS THIS PROGRAM DEVELOPED? There are a growing number of autistic students attending college. However, the percentage of autistic students who complete their degree is quite low. We believe that colleges should be offering more support services to address the unique needs of their autistic students. WHAT DOES THE PROGRAM DO? The Autism Mentorship Initiative (AMI) matches incoming autistic undergraduates with upper-level (third or fourth year) neurotypical undergraduates or graduate students who provide 1-on-1 mentorship. The autistic undergraduates meet regularly with their mentors to discuss personal and professional goals, discuss solutions for problems they are experiencing in college, and discuss ideas for increased integration into college campus life (e.g., joining clubs or attending social events). The neurotypical mentors receive ongoing training from program supervisors about autism and meet regularly with program supervisors to discuss progress with their mentees and troubleshoot issues they may be experiencing with their mentees. HOW DID THE RESEARCHERS EVALUATE THE PROGRAM? We evaluated AMI by administering the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire at multiple time points to examine whether autistic mentees reported improvements in social, emotional, and academic adjustment to college as a result of participating in AMI. In addition to tracking changes in cumulative grade point average (GPA), we also administered program evaluation surveys to determine whether AMI is meeting its core aims and to assess satisfaction with the program from the perspectives of both mentors and mentees. WHAT ARE THE EARLY FINDINGS? While there were no changes in GPA, participation in AMI resulted in notable changes in mentees' academic, social, and emotional adjustment. Both mentors and mentees reported personal, academic, and professional benefits from their participation in AMI. WHAT WERE THE WEAKNESSES OF THIS PROJECT? The sample size was small, so it is questionable whether the findings generalize to a broader autistic student population. In addition, there was no control group, so we cannot be certain that improvements in college adjustment were due to participation in AMI. Moreover, this study only assessed one program at one university in Western Canada, so it is unknown whether this program could be successfully implemented at other universities or in different geographic locations. WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS? As participation in AMI increases each year, follow-up studies will utilize larger sample sizes. We will seek to obtain control data by examining GPA and college adjustment in autistic students who do not participate in AMI. We will aim to conduct multisite trials to examine whether similar programs can be implemented at other universities. HOW WILL THIS WORK HELP AUTISTIC ADULTS NOW AND IN THE FUTURE? We hope that our research will help faculty members and staff from disability support offices to gain ideas and insights in implementing similar—or better—programs at their respective institutions. Our experience is that mentorship programs can be both cost-effective and easily implemented, while offering an invaluable support system to autistic students that may increase the likelihood of degree completion.

Study design The study used a generic qualitative design. Objectives This article set out to garner knowledge of peer mentorship programs delivered by SCI community-based organizations by interviewing people who are directly and in-directly involved with these programs. Setting Four provincial community-based SCI organizations across Canada. An integrated knowledge translation approach was applied in which researchers and SCI organization members co-constructed, co-conducted, and co-interpreted the study. Methods Thirty-six individuals (N = 36, including peer mentees, mentors, family members of mentees, and organizational staff) from four provincial SCI community-based organizations were interviewed. The participants' perspectives were combined and analyzed using a thematic analysis. Results Two overarching themes with respective subthemes were identified. Mentorship Mechanics describes the characteristics of mentors and mentees and components of the mentor-mentee relationship (e.g., establish a common ground). Under the theme Peer Mentorship Program Structures, participants described the organizational considerations for peer mentorship programs (e.g., format), and organizational responsibilities (e.g., funding; creating a peer mentorship team). Conclusion This study provides an in-depth look at the characteristics of peer mentorship programs that are delivered by community-based organizations in Canada and highlights the complexity of delivering such programs.

Background Hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) affect a large and growing proportion of the population. Treatment options are typically conservative making self-management a priority. Using trained peers to support individuals with OA has potential to improve self-management. Purpose To explore the process of engaging and training volunteers to become peer mentors; and to qualitatively evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and value of being a peer mentor to support others' self-management of OA. Materials and methods A qualitative evaluation of a peer mentorship support intervention reporting the processes of recruitment and training; and semi-structured interviews conducted with nine active peer mentors. Transcribed interviews were coded and analysed using framework analysis. Results It was possible to recruit, train and retain volunteers with OA to become peer mentors. The peer mentors benefitted from their training and felt equipped to deliver the intervention. They enjoyed social elements of the mentorship intervention and gained satisfaction through delivering valued support to mentees. Peer mentors perceived the mentorship intervention to have a positive impact on self-management of OA for mentees. Conclusion Training volunteers with OA to become peer mentors was feasible and acceptable. Peer mentors perceived their support benefitted others with OA. They positively rated their experience of providing mentorship support.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThis study demonstrates that it is possible to recruit, train and engage older volunteers to become peer mentors for people with osteoarthritis.Training should highlight the significance of employing key self-management techniques such as goal-setting.Peer mentors acknowledged that they benefitted from training and delivering the mentorship intervention, and this impacted positively on their own osteoarthritis self-management.Careful consideration of matching mentors and mentees appears to enhance the success of mentorship support.Recognising the impact of mentorship support on mentees' self-management is central to peer mentors' sustained engagement with the intervention.

Peer mentorship programs that pair more experienced students (i.e., mentors) with less experienced students (i.e., mentees) can have an effective, positive impact on university students’ personal, academic, and professional outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process and lessons learned in the creation of a peer mentorship program in a Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF/E) academic department. Through a combination of peer networking opportunities and skill development workshops, the mentorship program outlined in this paper aims to promote students’ academic and professional growth. Take-aways that can be utilized by other HF/E academia departments interested in starting or revamping their own peer mentorship programs are included.

This mixed methods study examines whether veteran–novice mentorship between tutors, as part of continuous in-service professional development, would have a positive effect on either party’s transferable skills (e.g., communication, collaboration, and professionalism). Quantitative findings from pre- and postsurveys about the veteran–novice mentorship suggest that tutors have significant gains in some transferable skills, such as oral/written communication skills, teamwork/collaboration skills, digital technology skills, and career management skills, after attending the continuous in-service professional development. Quantitative findings from the pre- and postsurveys further indicate that novice tutors improve more, compared to veteran tutors, in their self-perceived oral/written communication skill levels. Qualitative findings from postmentorship interviews explain findings suggested by quantitative analysis, with contextual factors. This research study has bifold significance: “a theoretical perspective” on writing center work and research-supported professional development strategies. The findings of this study provide more food for thought on the subjects of how to design veteran–novice mentorships, how to target some transferable skills for professional development in the future, and how to exemplify the transferable skills in the survey to make those abstract constructs more concrete.

Despite more than a decade of investment in opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment infrastructure, the year 2020 saw the highest mortality related to opioid overdose in American history. Treatment access remains critically limited, with less than half of people living with OUD receiving any treatment. Primary care has been referred to as the “sleeping giant” of addiction care, as few primary care doctors currently prescribe medications to treat OUD. The “clinical champions” framework is a tool that has shown promise in creating the type of mentorship and culture change necessary to expand uptake of medication-based OUD treatment among primary care providers. The early success of this model and the increased availability of tools for broad implementation warrant further investment as a means of leading primary care into a larger role in combatting the opioid addiction epidemic.

Nurse anesthesia residents experience high levels of stress while being enrolled in a post-baccalaureate nurse anesthesia program. Elevated levels of stress have been proven to limit one’s ability to learn and commit new material to memory, all while inhibiting their academic and clinical performance. This study represents a quality improvement project that implements a Peer Mentorship Program (PMP) into a major University in the New England area of the United States. The study utilizes descriptive statistics to determine if implementation of a peer mentorship program can help to decrease nurse anesthesia resident’s stress, while simultaneously increasing academic and clinical performance. Data gathered by the investigators of this study was composed of a Critical Action Point Checklist (CAPC); a set of objectives that were meant to be completed by the participants in order to help run a successful mentorship program. Additional data was collected using a Peer Mentorship Reflection Questionnaire at the end of the study to receive feedback about the Peer Mentorship Program. 56% of participants agreed that the Peer Mentorship Program helped to decrease stress during the study and 83.4% of participants agreed that they would like to see the Peer Mentorship Program continue for future cohorts at their nurse anesthesia program. The findings of this study suggest that more Nurse Anesthesia Programs should work to incorporate a Peer Mentorship Program for their nurse anesthesia residents to help develop safe, high-quality anesthesia providers for the future.

Previous research has indicated military families with children with autism reported significant difficulties when relocating with their child with autism. One possible relocation support for these families is an online peer mentorship program with another military spouse with a child with autism who has more relocation experience. The purpose of this pilot investigation was to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and collect initial outcome data for an online peer mentorship program for military spouses with children with autism. Results from this study indicated an online peer mentorship program is feasible, and may be a helpful program to support military spouses with children with autism before relocations.

BACKGROUND: The number of autistic individuals attending college or university is increasing, yet graduation rates are low as postsecondary environments often fail to support autistic students' individual needs. Peer mentorship programs are emerging as a promising approach for providing individualized, one-on-one support to meet this service gap for autistic postsecondary students. However, no literature has systematically described these programs. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review that described existing peer mentorship programs for autistic students in postsecondary education as well as their effectiveness. RESULTS: Our search of five databases found nine unique programs that were evaluated in 11 peer-reviewed articles. Programs reported positive outcomes in various domains, which included social skills, academic performance, and sense of belonging. The evidence for these programs was primarily qualitative, sample sizes were small, and there was considerable heterogeneity in the format, provision, and goals of these programs, as well as the evaluation methods used. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the state of the research related to the efficacy of peer mentorship programs for autistic students remains in its infancy, and further research is needed to quantify effectiveness and enable program comparisons. LAY SUMMARY: WHY WAS THIS REVIEW DONE? The number of autistic individuals attending college or university is increasing, yet graduation rates are low as most colleges and universities do not have the neccessary accommodations to support this population. Several peer mentorship programs now exist to provide individualized, one-on-one support for autistic students at college or university. WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW? While several programs exist, it is unknown how effective these programs are in improving the academic experience for autistic students. WHAT DID THE RESEARCHERS DO? We systematically reviewed research describing existing peer mentorship programs for autistic university/college students and their effectiveness. Our search of five databases revealed nine unique programs that were evaluated in 11 peer-reviewed articles. WHAT WERE THE RESULTS OF THE REVIEW? Most peer mentorship programs reported positive outcomes in various areas, including social skills, academic performance, and a sense of belonging. However, many of the studies were quite different in their approach and how they evaluated success, thus making it challenging to compare the programs with one another. WHAT DO THESE FINDINGS ADD TO WHAT WAS ALREADY KNOWN? The findings from our systematic review highlight that only a few studies related to peer mentorship programs exist. We need more research to quantify the effectiveness of peer mentoring programs for autistic college/university students. WHAT ARE POTENTIAL WEAKNESSES OF THIS REVIEW? There were evident inconsistencies between evaluation methods and types of measurement across studies, and studies often had a small number of participants, which limited our ability to make conclusions about the impact of such programs. HOW WILL THESE FINDINGS HELP AUTISTIC ADULTS NOW OR IN THE FUTURE? This article provides a summary of the kinds of supports available to autistic adults within postsecondary settings, which may help autistic adults explore options for their own education. Advancing research in this area may improve the college/university experience for autistic adults in the future.

The objective of this study was to explore the role of peer mentorship in facilitating graduate student resiliency, knowledge acquisition, and development of academic competencies. We conducted a qualitative case study, using in-person interview data from sixty-two students recruited from four professional faculties (Education, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work) at a large Canadian University. We identified four broad themes derived from a thematic and constant comparative analysis of interview data: (1) knowledge sharing, (2) skills development, (3) academic milestones, and (4) program supports. Graduate students reported that peer mentorship promoted the development of learning environments that emphasized community, collaboration, and shared purpose. Students believed that peer mentors facilitated their access to essential procedural and disciplinary knowledge and helped them to develop academic and research skills and achieve key academic milestones. While the majority of the students interviewed had not participated in any formal peer-mentoring program, they recommended that any future program incorporate mentorship training and include access to collaborative spaces and targeted opportunities for students to develop these relationships.

Youth with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often require additional supports during the period of transition to from high school to post-secondary education or career paths. Peer mentorship (PM) programmes create opportunities to support youth with ASD in identifying their personal, academic and career goals after graduating from high school; however, there is limited insight about the components of these programmes that are valued by both participants and peer mentors and that are perceived to contribute to the overall success of a programme in achieving their goals. Our objective was to identify, describe and synthesize the components of PM programmes valued by youth with ASD and their peer mentors, as well as to document their experiences in these transitional support services. A meta-ethnography was conducted to synthesize qualitative and mixed methods studies of PM programmes for youth with ASD. A systematic search of seven databases yielded 142 nonduplicate articles. Data analysis and synthesis involved (1) extraction of raw data; (2) extraction of study authors' interpretations, followed by inductive coding; (3) synthesis of key themes and (4) schematic diagram development to illustrate the relationship of themes. Ten studies of PM programmes from Canada (2), United States (4), Australia (3) and United Kingdom (1) were included. Extracted data reflected experiences of 131 mentees and 82 mentors. The essential programme components identified were (1) mentorship, (2) skill building, (3) peer group and (4) facilitating transition. PM characterized by clear communication and connection between mentors and mentees was valuable to the success of the programme. Peer mentors played an essential role to facilitate the positive experiences that mentees had with programme components, including interactions with peer groups. Successful PM programmes created a safe environment for mentees to practice skills and helped mentees gain confidence to expand their roles to take leadership in their learning.

Attaining professional contentment can be challenging for many. Academic success, psychosocial support, and the confidence to provide excellent clinical care at the workplace are key pillars that can help build a sense of meaning in a career. The role of mentorship in facilitating these key pillars at different stages of pediatric anesthesia training and new independent practice is instrumental. For mentees aspiring for a career in pediatric anesthesia, there are several points of focus. Mentees should seek out mentors early in training, build on these relationships, and explore opportunities for peer mentorship as they advance in their career. For mentors, introducing mentees to the clinical and academic aspects of pediatric anesthesia and setting the foundation for the mentee to advance in their career can be both gratifying and stimulating. In this article, we explore the development and progression of a mentor-mentee relationship through training to the early career stage and its role in developing a meaningful career in pediatric anesthesia.

The case presented in this study focused on the experiences of students enrolled in a Saturday day music program situated in an underserved community. Students in this community represent a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, and we were interested in whether younger students in the program would benefit from receiving lessons from an older student from the same community. This case study was bound by the shared experiences of the participants who engaged in music teaching and learning through this community music program. Data included the following: student surveys, participant interviews, private lesson and orchestra class observations, and teacher assessments. Overall, near-peer mentorship was beneficial. The majority of participants in this study experienced gains in performance skills. Interviews with the mentors revealed several benefits from tutoring a younger student, including self-analysis of instrument performance, positive feelings gained from helping others, and social benefits. The fifth-grade students who were assigned a mentor reported that they learned instrument-specific skills from their mentor and felt more comfortable and confident playing different songs because instruction was individualized.

Wheelchair users typically receive little training about wheelchair maintenance. Therefore, we developed a peer-led, manual wheelchair skills maintenance training programme, with the intention of evaluating its efficacy in a future experimental study.The purpose of this feasibility study was to examine how well we were able to implement the training programme and to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a larger scale clinical trial.Spinal cord injury research centre.Five mentors and fifteen mentees were recruited to complete this feasibility study.We collected information about recruitment capability and sample characteristics, data collection procedure, acceptability of the training programme, resources required, and participants' responses to the intervention. Participants completed all the items and we had little missing data. Participants did not face any difficulty answering the questionnaires or performing the tests. Therefore, we could conclude data collection was feasible moving forward to perform larger efficacy trials. The acceptability of the wheelchair maintenance programme was more than 90%. There was a statistically significant improvement in wheelchair maintenance knowledge test and total rolling resistance. Confidence of mentees increased significantly after the training. Improvements in the 3-cone test and the 6-min push test results were not significant.If recruitment and scheduling challenges can be overcome, our data suggested that it is feasible to conduct a larger experimental study to test the efficacy of the programme.Implications for RehabilitationWheelchair maintenance skills are important to help wheelchair users keep their wheelchairs working safely and efficiently.The findings from this study suggest that a peer-led wheelchair maintenance training programme may improve participants' wheelchair maintenance knowledge and maintenance self-confidence.The study also suggests that a peer-led wheelchair maintenance training programme may decrease the rolling resistance of participants' wheelchairs.A larger clinical trial is needed to demonstrate the efficacy of this intervention authoritatively.

Purpose Many university-based services for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have incorporated peer mentorship programs; however, the research on the success of these programs to increase social engagement is extremely limited. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of a peer mentor program, both alone and combined with an incentive program, on increasing the social engagement of college students with ASD. Additionally, the perceptions of college students with ASD were also examined to determine potential barriers to participate in these social events. Design/methodology/approach A component analysis was used to determine what intervention component or combination of components, was most effective in increasing the social engagement among college students with ASD. The number of students during each component was totaled and averaged across the number of social events held during that phase. A survey regarding barriers to social engagement was also provided. Findings Results suggest that both the peer mentor program alone, as well as the peer mentor program in conjunction with an incentive program, were effective at increasing students’ attendance at weekly supervised social events. Results from the survey regarding barriers to social engagement revealed that the majority of students reported difficulties managing time to fit social events into their schedule. Originality/value To the knowledge, the use of peer-mentoring programs combined with an incentive program on increasing social engagement has not yet been investigated. Further, perceptions of the use of these programs by college students with ASD is relatively limited.

We examine the impact of Biology Mentoring and Engagement (BIOME) near-peer mentorship on 437 first-year undergraduate students over three cohort years. The BIOME course consists of ten, 50-minute meetings where groups of six first-year mentees meet with an upper-division student mentor to discuss topics including metacognition, growth mindset, and effective study strategies. We employed a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the impact of BIOME on mentee academic outcomes. Initial ethnographic analysis revealed that BIOME influenced student study methods, approaches to academic challenges, and use of campus learning communities. We then constructed a novel, program-specific instrument to measure the implementation of these habits, a construct we named “academic habit complexity.” Regression analysis supported the hypothesis that enrollment in BIOME leads to students using more diverse approaches than their peers. Enrollment in BIOME, and the associated development of academic habit complexity, is related to higher course grades in General Chemistry, a biology major prerequisite. Finally, students participating in BIOME demonstrated improved short-term student retention as measured by increased enrollment in the subsequent prerequisite General Chemistry course. These results suggest that course-based near-peer mentorship may be an effective and scalable approach that can promote student academic success.

In 2020, approximately 2 million veterans attended colleges and universities in the U.S. College student veterans face unique challenges integrating into campus environments and completing their degrees. Research has shown that these students take longer to complete their degrees and have difficulty integrating into campus environments and connecting to traditional students, who are often in different developmental stages and life circumstances. Colleges and universities across the United States vary widely in terms of resources for student veterans, with just over half offering programs for veterans. Schools that have peer mentorship programs to enhance integration and persist in education have been shown to be successful. In order to grow the existence of peer mentorship programs, colleges and universities should consider replicating existing models that have proven successful. Campus stakeholders from students to administration are critical to the implementation of college student veteran peer mentorship programs. Social Work is uniquely positioned to play a key role for these programs. Social Workers can offer advocacy, clinical work, education, and scholarship to aid in the implementation of peer mentorship programs and integration of college student veterans on campus.

Background: Academic demands along with stressors inherent to daily life may be overwhelming for undergraduate psychiatric nursing students. Peer mentorship programs have been found to improve emotional well-being in students; however, little research is available regarding psychiatric nursing students' experiences. Method: Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to answer the research question: “What are the lived experiences of mentors within an undergraduate psychiatric nursing peer mentorship program?” Nine undergraduate psychiatric nursing students with experience serving as a mentor were interviewed. Results: The participants expressed they gained important skills that are valued by the profession of psychiatric nursing. The themes identified included: support, empathy, the mentor-mentee relationship, active listening, and leadership. Conclusion: Involvement in these programs may assist with fostering these skills in undergraduate psychiatric nursing students. Offering a mentorship program for undergraduate psychiatric nursing students has been demonstrated to be valuable. [ J Nurs Educ . 2021;60(10):582–585.]

My USRI project involved partnering with staff at a regional organization and a Western researcher to conduct a study with aims involving: 1.Examine how staff at MLPS share information and support others in their network. 2.Identify key areas where organizations may want to intervene to foster an optimal peer network.

Background Hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) are common musculoskeletal conditions. Treatment is usually conservative, making self-management a priority. We developed and trialled an OA peer mentorship intervention to support self-management in older people. Our objectives were to gain understanding of the perceived challenges of living with OA and explore how a peer mentorship intervention can support tackling these challenges; and to explore mentees' experiences of receiving the intervention to understand how this affected their OA self-management. Methods Qualitative semi-structured interviews focussing on acceptability and feasibility of being in the study were conducted with mentees. Transcribed interviews were double coded and subject to framework analysis. To address the objectives of this paper, three main themes were subject to focused analysis: mentees' experiences of OA, experience of peer mentorship support and factors influencing self-management. Results Seventeen mentees participated in an interview following completion of the peer support intervention. Themes emerging from focused analysis were the following: tackling the challenges of living with OA pre- and post-intervention; and the interplay of the peer mentorship intervention and self-management. Key elements of the latter theme are enabling factors provided by peer mentorship, and mentees' readiness to self-manage. Conclusion To effectively support OA self-management, peer mentorship interventions should include core educational components and focus on strategies that enhance key enablers of self-management. Paying attention to the mentor–mentee relationship and timing of intervention engagement can maximise opportunities for older people to adjust and transition from supported to independent self-management.

Peer mentorship programs are promoted as reciprocal, where both mentors and mentees benefit; however, the majority of qualitative research focuses on the positive outcomes for mentees, while few (Haggard et al., 2011; Heirdsfield et al., 2008) focus on the experiences and positive outcomes for mentors. International student peer mentorship programs help mentors develop leadership, intercultural communication, and professional skills as they help others and interact with students from different cultures and backgrounds (Haggard et al., 2011). This research study is going to fill the gap and contribute to international higher education by focusing on student peer mentors’ self-experience and how they value their roles. The research project specifically seeks to address the following questions: How do student mentors perceive and value the experiences of being peer mentors for international students? How does the international student peer mentor program contribute to mentors’ development?

Aim This study evaluated whether peer mentorship was an effective and sustainable way of improving and maintaining knowledge and skills on neonatal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in a low-resource setting with a high turnover of healthcare providers. Methods The Malawi Ministry of Health recruited five nurses with considerable CPAP experience and provided them with mentorship training from July to August 2014. The mentors then provided 1-week on-site mentorship for 113 colleagues at 10 secondary and one tertiary hospital where gaps in neonatal CPAP use had been identified. CPAP competencies and outcomes were compared 3 months before and after each mentorship. Results In the 3 months before and after mentorship, the average CPAP competency score increased from 32 ± 4% to 97 ± 2%, while CPAP usage increased from 7% to 23% among eligible neonates. Survival following CPAP mentorship increased from 23% to 35%, but this was not significant due to the small sample size. Both mentees and mentors reported useful transfers of knowledge and skills when using CPAP. Conclusion Mentorship effectively bridged the knowledge and skills gaps among health workers and increased CPAP use, competency scores and survival rates.

Purpose New faculty often encounters myriad professional and personal challenges during their first year of employment. In order to foster connection, support and critical dialogue throughout this potentially taxing transition, the authors utilized duoethnography to establish a peer mentorship relationship. The purpose of this paper is to describe how duoethnography can cultivate peer mentorship and further understand the experiences of first-year faculty. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study used duoethnography as a mechanism for peer mentoring for two first-year faculty located within the Midwest and Western regions of the USA. Data sources included an online journal with multiple author entries and e-mail correspondence. Findings The analysis revealed that duoethnography was helpful for maintaining peer mentorship for two counselor education faculty, as they critically evaluated their experiences transitioning into higher education through an online journal. Several key moments of mentoring emerged from the data including navigating tenure, holding hope, balancing and finding place. Research limitations/implications In this study, the authors found the use of duoethnography to be helpful for peer mentorship as the authors navigated unfamiliar settings and established the professional identities as educators. Future studies utilizing duoethnography for peer mentorship may provide insight into experiences in higher education to support faculty professional development. Originality/value Although prior research has examined the experiences of faculty and traditional mentorship, the authors are unaware of research examining the use of duoethnography to establish peer mentorship for new, tenure-track faculty. This manuscript provides higher education faculty a tool for promoting mentorship, critical dialogue, collaboration and transformation through duoethnography.

We used collective analytical autoethnography (CAAE) to investigate experiences of academic bullying and mobbing in our study. Specifically, four autoethnographers shared and analyzed perso...

Disparities in students’ psychosocial outcomes are an underresearched area of achievement gap research. Racial-ethnic minorities endorse a lower sense of belonging, higher impostorism scores, and decreased college adjustment at predominately White institutions relative to White students and these disparities impact their college outcomes. This study explores how peer mentorship contributes to the academic and socioemotional outcomes of a sample of Black collegians. Furthermore, the study examines whether variations in student outcomes function as a result of the type of mentorship endorsed by students. Results revealed a positive relationship between mentorship, mentorship experiences and college adjustment, and an inverse relationship with impostorism. Furthermore, students with mentors reported significantly higher belongingness and college adjustment scores compared to students with no mentors.

IntroductionTransition from medical student to Foundation Year 1 (FY1) doctor is often challenging. New doctors commonly report feeling stressed and unsupported.1–4 In order to improve support for FY1s, we piloted a peer mentorship scheme. We evaluated the impact of having a near-peer mentor in Foundation Year 2 (FY2) in addition to the traditional Educational Supervisor on FY1s’ experience of their first year of practice.Methods190 Foundation Year doctors (FYs) volunteered (95 FY1s, 95 FY2s). FY1-FY2 dyads were assigned according to similar rotation assignments in the FY1 year. Dyads were encouraged to communicate informally as well as meet face-to-face three times over the one-year mentorship period. Feedback was sought regularly via online survey.ResultsResponse to a one-year evaluation survey was 32/95 FY1s, 65/95 FY2s. 94% of respondents reported having both mentor and Educational Supervisor was beneficial. 84.4% of FY1s reported ‘having a peer mentor helped [them] feel supported in the transition from medical student to FY1.' 99% of respondents recommended the programme should continue.The programme is currently running for a second year. 61% of 2017/2018 FY1 participants (58/95) have volunteered as FY2-mentors in 2018/2019.ConclusionsNear-peer mentorship enhances support for FY1 doctors. This intervention was widely accepted and received positive evaluations from participants. We provide a simple, low-cost model that could be replicated and adapted to improve support for doctors in training.

Background The need for mentorship in aging research among postdoctoral trainees and junior faculty across medical disciplines and subspecialties is increasing, yet senior personnel with expertise in aging are lacking to fulfill the traditional dyadic mentorship role. Facilitated peer mentorship is grounded in collaborative work among peers with the guidance of a senior mentor. Methods and results We evaluated the Columbia University Mentor Peer Aging Research (CoMPAdRE) program, an interprofessional facilitated peer mentorship program for early stage investigators, using the Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation and Maintenance framework (RE-AIM). Reach: A total of 15 participants, of which 20% were women, from five states and across six medical specialties participated. Effectiveness: Participants published 183 papers, of which more than 20% were collaborative papers between CoMPAdRE mentees or mentees-mentor. Participants reported developing skills in negotiation, navigating the academic role, organizing a seminar, management, and leadership over the course of the program. According to the qualitative findings, the most important components of the program included alignment around the aging, learning from national leaders, developing leadership skills and career networking. Adoption: Individual-level factors included selecting participants with a research track record, willingness to sign a compact of commitment and involvement in shaping the program. An institutional-level factor that facilitated program adoption included strong commitment from department leaders. Implementation The program cost $3,259 per participant. Maintenance: CoMPAdRE is being maintained and currently incorporating a second cohort of mentees. Conclusion This RE-AIM evaluation provides lessons learned and strategies for future adoption, implementation, and maintenance of an aging-focused facilitated peer mentorship program. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:804-810, 2019.

Philosophical writing is challenging for students new to philosophy. Many philosophy classes are populated, for the most part, by students who have never taken philosophy before. While many institutions offer general writing support services, these services tend to be most beneficial for helping to identify problems with style and grammar. They are not equipped to help students with the particular challenges that come with writing philosophy for the first time. We implemented the Home Base Mentoring Program in two introductory-level philosophy courses to target the specific challenges that novice learners have when learning how to write philosophy. Through the program, students had access to writing mentors who were undergraduate senior philosophy majors. Based on surveys given to the students who have participated in this program, we found that the program boosted student confidence in writing and also worked to develop a welcoming, judgment-free, and encouraging environment in the philosophy department more generally.

Peer mentorship is a flagship program utilized by Canadian community-based spinal cord injury (SCI) organizations. Through connecting trained SCI peer mentors with fellow adults with SCI, these programs help adults adapt and thrive following their injury. The objective of this meta-synthesis was to work with SCI community organizations and to identify outcomes of participating in community- or rehabilitation-based peer mentorship programs using an integrated knowledge translation approach.A meta-synthesis of 21 qualitative peer-reviewed studies and 66 community documents was conducted.A total of 87 outcomes of peer mentorship were identified.The outcomes of peer mentorship were grouped according to six higher-order themes: 1) Independence: enhanced self-sufficiency; 2) Personal growth: positive psychological changes; 3) Activities and participation: greater participation in activities and events; 4) Adaptation: adapting to life with disability; 5) Knowledge: obtaining new information, resources, and opportunities; and 6) Connection: developing and maintaining social relationship.The positive nature of the identified outcomes suggests that participating in peer mentorship can promote improved health and quality of life for adults with SCI. Furthermore, the integrated knowledge translation approach helped identify outcomes that were previously not examined within SCI peer mentorship research, thus providing important insight for future research.

The hidden curriculum of unspoken professional expectations negatively impacts medical student interest in surgery. Medical student mentorship and early surgical exposure have been shown to demystify the hidden curriculum. Although residents and faculty play a vital role, near-peer mentorship may aid in uncovering the hidden curriculum and promoting medical student interest in surgery, especially for those learners who are underrepresented in medicine. We developed and implemented a formalized near-peer mentorship program composed of quarterly small group Surgical Peer Teacher led lessons and one-on-one Surgical Support Team mentorship meetings covering surgical curriculum topics for medical students at an academic medical school. This structured near-peer mentorship model provides a mechanism to demystify surgical culture, increase early access to surgical mentorship, and develop mentorship skills amongst students. This program aims to uncover the surgical hidden curriculum to improve surgical career support and interest among medical students with less exposure and access to physician role models. This longitudinal mentorship model is student-run and can be easily adapted to enhance existing support models at medical schools. Future studies will evaluate utilization, impact on surgical specialty interest, and efficacy in demystifying the surgical hidden curriculum.

Literature shows that mentors and role-models directly affect young students' self-efficacy and motivation to pursue specific academic fields and careers. To explore this further, this chapter describes a free, 9-Saturday programming camp for middle school students with near-peer mentors (first year, college student instructors) and local guest speakers. This camp served 28 underrepresented minority students (17 boys and 11 girls; grades 5-7) from a low-income, urban area. In a pre-camp survey, the middle school students predominately reported not having any role-models or mentors in computing. However, when asked again on the final camp day, these same students indicated developing strong connections with their near-peer mentors and even saw these older students and guest speakers, as role-models. These results highlight the need for young, underrepresented minority students to have more opportunities to interact with potential mentors and role-models, and the importance of providing resources to help develop and nurture these connections.

“Nobody makes it alone. Nobody has made it alone” (NOVA SHRM & Dulles SHRM, 2012, p. 5). Mentoring generally has positive outcomes, such as increasing output, staying in work or school, increasing confidence, and others (Campbell & Campbell, 2007; Crisp & Cruz, 2009; Eby et al., 2008; NASEM, 2019; Pfund et al., 2016). This dissertation study focused on student perceived needs for peer mentorship in engineering, which can fill in gaps of traditional mentorship by pairing mentors and mentees at similar levels, increasing comfort and emotional support to mentees (Allen et al., 2017; Haggard et al., 2011; Kram & Isabella, 1985; Meyers et al., 2010; NASEM, 2019). While there are peer mentorship programs in higher education, there is a lack of agreement on what is important. This is because of limited understanding (Crisp & Cruz, 2009; Gershenfeld, 2014; Jacobi, 1991). Most studies have focused on evaluating peer mentoring programs to find program issues instead of finding what students perceive as a need (Crisp & Cruz, 2009). Needs assessments are used to look at needs before building a program (Office of Migrant Education, 2001; Witkin & Altschuld, 1995). These can help in finding out and meeting student needs. Participant ideas can be vital in successfully making and running a peer mentorship program (Gershenfeld, 2014). There are few examples of studies being designed to explore student perceived needs for any type of formal mentorship program (Allen et al., 2017; Binkley & Brod, 2013; Breakey et al., 2018; Riley et al., 2014; Sawatzky & Enns, 2009; Sinclair et al., 2015; Tran et al., 2012; von der Borch et al., 2011). In undergraduate engineering education, only one work shows an assessment tool being used to explore the peer mentoring needs of engineering students (Jones & Waggenspack, 2017). The study by Jones & Waggenspack (2017) was limited because the needs assessment asked students to reflect on their needs while evaluating the existing program instead of before the program was designed. The lack of assessments of needs before the design of mentoring programs is concerning since institutions are investing money to keep students without ample evidence to support the need and success of those programs. Also, without understanding student ideas about formal peer mentoring programs, universities may cater to some students but not all. This dissertation aimed to find undergraduate engineering students’ common perceived needs for peer mentoring. This was in connection with training and matching/initiating considerations, which are important to the formation of a mentoring program. For this work, student perceived needs were considered an essence of the student experience in a higher education environment. As such, this dissertation focused on developing and validating a survey instrument. The instrument allows for collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data to better understand this essence. One unique element of this survey was that the procedures were conducted during COVID-19, which gave an opportunity to consider student perceived needs of both in-person and virtual mentoring relationships. The results serve to inform the process of developing and implementing appropriate training and matching/initiating standards of practice for peer mentorship programs within a College of Engineering.

Background: Research has become a key pillar of academic medicine and a cornerstone of residency training; however, there continues to be significant barriers to ensuring research productivity for residents. We implemented a novel tiered team approach which aimed to increase research productivity and promote collaboration during residency training. Methods: This was a retrospective study that evaluated the implementation of a novel tiered team research approach at a single institution between 2009 and 2013. Analytical software was used to visualize and display the research interconnections among the authors of the captured publications. In addition to using Gephi to determine the research interconnections, the growth in research capability of the tiered team and its individual members were also graphically depicted. Results: The research team produced a total of 77 publications during the study period (2009–2013). Significant and frequent collaboration and coauthorship was noted as the years progressed following implementation of tiered team research. Discussion: Tiered team research can be readily implemented at most institutions and can lead to increases in productivity of published research. It can also promote collaboration and peer mentorship among those involved.

Peer mentorship programmes exist where senior students offer support to first year students to help them transition from high school into a university environment. The implementation of such programmes requires extensive resources and a proper management structure. In general, both the mentor and mentee benefits, as the mentee is helped to settle into the university while the mentor develops important social skills. However, different authors have different perspectives on measuring the success of such programmes. Some measure the success based on the academic performance, decrease in dropout rates and better social integration of the mentees. What may be considered as a successful programme at one university may not be considered so at another university. Furthermore, what tangible benefits accrue to the mentors? The purpose of this paper is to present a scholarly personal perspective of the benefits and challenges of a peer mentorship programme that was introduced at a university of technology in South Africa in 2014. The author was employed as a teaching and learning assistance in the faculty of engineering and information technology for a period of one year, thereby validating her perspectives based on personal involvement with the mentors. A scholarly personal perspective is used that may be linked to a constructivist research methodology that recognizes the validity and usefulness of a researcher’s personal experiences in a specific discipline. Critical subsections on the success of this programme relates to the selection criteria for mentors, the structure and management of weekly sessions between mentors and mentees and developmental sessions for the mentors. It is recommended that universities should continue offering support to first year student through peer mentorship programmes, as it assists mentees to settle into university life, while allowing further personal development.

Background Given an 8.3% decline in nursing PhD enrollments between 2013 and 2018 and persistent nursing faculty vacancies nationwide, training the next generation of PhD-prepared nurse faculty remains a priority for the nursing profession. High quality nursing PhD mentorship is linked to improved career development and student retention, yet the traditional faculty-student dyad often does not meet all student needs due to multiple factors including faculty time constraints. Purpose To detail the initiation of a new, student-led constellation mentorship program that involves one-on-one peer mentorship and inter-cohort mentorship via “Partnerships for Development.” Methods We surveyed students on their experiences after initial program implementation. Discussion We summarize our experiences implementing the program, provide programmatic evaluation, and make recommendations for other nursing PhD programs interested in implementing a similar mentorship model. A constellation model may be an effective and sustainable model for mentorship, but further research is needed.

Research on adolescent sexuality, health and parenting has gained much attention in recent years. This growing body of research, however, has arguably limited qualitative outputs on HIV-positive adolescent mothers' sexual and reproductive health choices, needs, and rights in South Africa that could lead to informed policymaking. Through in-depth interviews conducted with a select group of ten HIV-positive adolescents and three key informants, the article explores the sexual, motherhood, risk discourses and reproductive health issues and rights of HIV-positive adolescent mothers as they come to terms with choices they have made and the challenges ahead. The findings highlight the dominant narratives on what are deemed to be the forces that shape these adolescent mothers' new social realities. With existing policies in place for adolescents, it is argued that a "one-size-fits-all" policy approach does not work, especially for HIV-positive adolescent mothers. Drawing on this identified gap and the tensions between individual needs, and the public welfare provision, the article highlights the need for tailored policy that will accommodate and promote the overall well-being of HIV-positive adolescent mothers and their children.

Background: Medical residents may experience burnout during their training, and a lack of social support. This can impact their overall wellbeing and ability to master key professional competencies. We explored, in this study, the extent to which peer mentorship promotes psychosocial wellbeing and the development of professional competencies in medical residency education. Methods: We searched six databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Academic Research Complete, ERIC, Education Research Complete) for studies on peer mentoring relationships in medical residency. We selected any study where authors reported on outcomes associated with peer mentoring relationships among medical residents. We applied no date, language, or study design limits to this review. Results: We included nine studies in this systematic review. We found that medical residents received essential psychosocial supports from peers, and motivation to develop academic and career competencies. Medical residents in peer-mentoring relationships also reported increased overall satisfaction with their residency training programs. Conclusions: Peer-mentoring relationships can enhance the development of key professional competencies and coping mechanisms in medical residency education. Further rigorous research is needed to examine the comparative benefits of informal and formal peer mentoring, and identify best practices with respect to effective design of peer-mentorship programs.

Given our understanding of the importance of peer mentorship for people with disabilities, research needs to begin exploring characteristics of the mentor-mentee relationship that could contribute to the observed positive outcomes. To date, no review has examined characteristics of peer mentorship (i.e. interaction modality, interaction frequency) that could impact the quality and effectiveness of this service. The primary purpose was to synthesize the peer-reviewed peer mentorship literature for people with disabilities and report on the interaction modality and frequency employed in each study. A secondary purpose was to document the results of studies that have tested relationships between the outcomes of peer mentorship and interaction modality or frequency. A scoping review was performed that involved a systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Articles reported five different interaction modalities; the telephone (

Nursing students face numerous challenges and stressors related to the dynamics within the academic, psycho-social, and health care environments. Peer mentoring has the potential to support nursing students with these challenges by providing academic and psychosocial support, which may increase retention in the programme and student wellbeing. The focus of this article is on peer mentors’ and mentees’ views of professional relationships as an essential requirement to create and maintain an effective peer mentoring programme. The aim of the study is to support the design and implementation of a peer mentoring programme to enhance students’ academic success in an undergraduate nursing programme. It is thus important to determine students’ views about the relationship that would create a supportive environment for them. A descriptive qualitative research design was used. A purposive sample of 20 participants participated in semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups with peer mentors and mentees in an undergraduate nursing programme. Measures to ensure trustworthiness and ethical research were implemented. The importance of professional relationships as the glue that holds a peer mentoring programme together emerged. In order to establish the professional relationship, participants explained the importance of boundaries in the relationship, commitment toward the programme by all role players, and the qualities required of a mentor. Recommendations were made for training mentors and mentees in establishing and maintaining boundaries, negotiating relationship contracts, and developing the qualities required of mentors.

Aim To explore perspectives of nurse managers about their preparation for transitioning into positions of leadership. Background There have been serious concerns about the level of preparation as well as availability of support systems for transitioning of nurses into positions of authority. Methods This was a quantitative study conducted in four Caribbean countries targeting nurses promoted to leadership positions within the last 5 years. Data were collected using a 30-item questionnaire. Ethical approvals were received from the University of the West Indies and the participating countries. Results Most participants were female, had 15 or more years' experience and an associate degree/diploma in nursing. They felt prepared through training and acting opportunities although many were not preceptored/mentored into the position. Preparation by training was positively correlated to acting opportunities, preceptorship programme and having a preceptor. Conclusion Transitioning into positions of leadership requires readiness from a personal as well as an organisational perspective. There must be investment in the development opportunities to support nurses' transition into leadership positions. Implications for nursing management Organisational continuity and effectiveness will be dependent on a balance between investing in experienced nursing personnel while encouraging personal development of less-experienced nurses. Peer mentorship must be utilized to facilitate nurse transition.

Commentary on: Collins, D, Alla, J, Nicolaidis, C, et al . “If It Wasn’t for Him, I Wouldn’t Have Talked to Them”: Qualitative Study of Addiction Peer Mentorship in the Hospital. J Gen Intern Med . 2019. doi: 10.1007/s11606-019-05311-0. [Epub ahead of print 12 Dec 2019]. Alcohol and other drug use is a significant driver of acute medical service utilisation, with hospitalisations related to substance use disorders and its sequelae increasing markedly in recent years. However, hospital clinicians are often unprepared to care for patients with these disorders, while patients frequently report experiencing discrimination by healthcare staff. Peer …

First-year medical students are at risk for burnout despite resources available to help them manage stress. In 2015, a structured peer-mentorship program was created at our institution for incoming medical students (M1s) by second-year medical students (M2s) with a goal of reducing risk factors for burnout; a secondary goal was to improve the mentoring skills of M2s. Over the course of the year, we surveyed M1s about their anxiety, prioritization skills, and work-life balance; M2s from the previous year's unstructured peer-mentorship program served as a control group. 164 M1s and 164 M2s participated in this program. Among M1s, a structured peer-mentorship program significantly reduced anxiety levels (p=

Half of homeless youth experience pregnancy at some point during their adolescence. Few programs exist to address pregnancy prevention among homeless youth, particularly from a holistic health promotion framework. Wahine Talk, an innovative adolescent pregnancy prevention and sexual health program, helps to fill this gap. The current study is part of a larger examination of Wahine Talk's initial feasibility, appropriateness, and acceptability, exploring experiences of both homeless youth participants (n = 11) and an interdisciplinary team of providers (n = 4) in three focus groups (N = 3). Template Analysis of focus group data resulted in five main themes characterizing participant and provider experiences of the intervention: 1) basic needs services are foundational; 2) peer mentorship takes many forms; 3) group is good, but is not for everyone; 4) putting a person in the clinic; and 5) holistic sexual health promotion. Findings suggest that Wahine Talk is initially feasible to provide, appropriate for homeless young women, and acceptable as delivered. Implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed.

Purpose Given concerns about attrition and career outcomes of academic radiation oncologists, we sought to gather empirical evidence regarding mentorship experiences. Methods and Materials We surveyed academic radiation oncologists in the United States and Canada who were within 5 years of board certification, using a pretested questionnaire that included 14 questions evaluating the following aspects of mentorship: relationship development, peer mentorship, satisfaction with mentorship, sponsorship, relationship nature, informal interactions, mentoring roles, presence of a primary mentor, and primary mentor characteristics. We described responses and evaluated associations with gender in separate multivariable regression models that adjusted for years in practice, nature of research, possession of higher degrees, and race. Results Of 347 faculty surveyed, 221 responded (64% response rate); 66% of respondents were men. Over half of respondents indicated difficulty in identifying role models (56%, n = 124); just under half reported ease in developing mentoring relationships (49%, n = 108). Peer-mentor use was commonly reported (62%, n = 138). Most respondents (66%, n = 145) spent ≤1 hour per month meeting with mentors. Only 51% (n = 112) reported having a primary mentor. Just under half of all respondents reported being very or somewhat satisfied with their mentorship experiences (49%, n = 108). Conclusions These findings suggest a need for academic radiation oncology departments to facilitate mentorship of all junior faculty through deliberate, structured programs, with training of mentors and mentees alike. It is heartening that substantial rates of sponsorship and peer-mentorship use were reported, which may serve as the grounding for further initiatives.