Minnesota Nursing Magazine Spring/Summer 2012 - School of ...

school news
freshman nursing guarantee program
Mentoring group fosters
empowerment and leadership
by jenna grossardt, hannah oswald, and lauren quick
The School of Nursing selects students for
the Freshman Guarantee Program from
those who indicate an interest in nursing
on their University applications and who
meet the admission criteria determined by
the School of Nursing and the University’s
admissions office. Students are guaranteed
admission to the school after completing
freshman year courses and provided they
meet the required graduate point average.
While extremely fortunate to be granted a
spot in an incredibly competitive nursing
program, freshmen guarantee students also
face unique challenges.
To provide these students with crucial
connections throughout their time in the
nursing program, the Freshman Nursing
Guarantee Student Mentoring Group, was
created in the spring of 2009. By pairing
a freshman student with a sophomore
nursing student mentor, the mentoring
Freshman Guarantee students at the 2012 Spring Soiree.
group fosters empowerment and leadership
skills, as well as provides guidance through
the common struggles faced by freshmen
guarantee nursing students. The pairs
are encouraged to build relationships
through one-on-one meetings at campus
coffee shops as well as group activities
like bowling and bingo night. As freshmen
students progress through the program,
members from each class provide structure
and guidance to incoming mentors. This
provides an ongoing leadership opportunity
for advancing students and helps assure
continuation of the mentoring group.
Jenna Grossardt, BSN ‘12, Hannah Oswald,
BSN ‘12, and Lauren Quick, BSN ‘12, under the
guidance of Karin Alaniz, PhD, RN, School
of Nursing senior lecturer and freshman
guarantee student advisor, identified
the need for a relationship building and
sustainable mentorship program. They
believed by pairing a freshmen student
with an older enthusiastic student, she/
he would have exposure to student
insights, as well as an experience of gaining
relationship-building skills. The co-founders
created the program by first identifying
the needs of these freshmen students.
Next, they brainstormed the expectations
for the mentors/mentees, created a
constitution, registered through the
University as a recognized student group,
and pioneered the first round of mentoring
pairs. “Dr. Alaniz was a motivating
stimulus throughout the process,” says
Oswald. “She was able to offer ideas and
recommendations, a connection for initial
meet-greets for pairs in her freshman
seminar, and a constant motivation for
sustainability.”
After the first year, co-founders worked
with the incoming BSN class to prepare the
next round students. The class continued
the program with mentoring from the
founders and established new mentoring
pairs. Today the program is on its third
round of mentoring.
Current freshmen guarantee students
Christine Myers and Alyssa Schmid have had
positive experiences with their mentors and
look to them as a resource within the school
when they have questions, are nervous
about the upcoming years of nursing
school, or for advice on which electives to
take. Both feel prepared and excited about
being the new mentors next year!
Encouraged by the success thus far, the
founders hope that the legacy pursues.
10 minnesota nursing | nursing.umn.edu/magazine