The Effect of Peer Mentoring on Stress Levels of First-Semester Nursing Students

Abstract

Abstract Due to the immense complexities of nursing education, students in a program of nursing experience higher levels of stress when compared to other disciplines, which can lead to negative learning outcomes and attrition resulting in significant financial losses for academic institutions. Peer mentoring is an evidence-based strategy to support students by engaging in a mutual relationship, yielding positive learning outcomes through stress reduction for the mentee and the mentor. A quasi-experimental quantitative-qualitative study design will be performed to investigate the effects of a well-organized, supported peer mentoring program between first-semester nursing students and fourth-semester nursing students at Wichita State University. Students at the local Kansas State University (KSU) campus will participate in the program, while their linear cohorts at the main Wichita State University (WSU) campus will serve as a control group without participation. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) will be utilized to monitor stress level trends during the students’ first semester in the control group and the intervention group, with an anticipated result that will substantiate the value of a peer mentoring program in reducing first-semester nursing students’ stress levels and achieving positive learning outcomes. Qualitative data will be collected through an open-ended comment section following the PSS. By reducing nursing students’ stress levels in the first semester through peer mentoring, optimal educational outcomes can be achieved through support in initiating a valuable relationship between the mentor and the mentee. Keywords: peer mentoring, stress level, learning outcomes, Perceived Stress Scal