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Saturday, 16 November 2013
Learning Objective 1: The participant will identify the essential components of an effective peer support program in an undergraduate clinical course.
Learning Objective 2: The participant will be able to discuss the benefits of a peer support teaching strategy in the clinical setting.
Baccalaureate nursing curricula emphasize the various roles of the professional nurse: provider of care, teacher, manager, and research consumer. These roles are reflected in “The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nurses” and thus baccalaureate nursing programs strive to implement strategies that facilitate development of these roles. In the summer of 2009, a peer support program was implemented at a college of nursing within a private Midwestern university. Senior level nursing students were assigned to assist sophomore students during their foundational nursing clinical experiences. All students involved in the program were asked to participate in a study by completing investigator-developed surveys. Surveys included both Likert scale and open-ended items. The aim of this study was twofold: (a) to evaluate the effectiveness of the peer support program implemented in the clinical setting, and (b) to ascertain the student’s perception of fulfilling the roles of the professional nurse through participation in the program. Over a two-year period, 342 students participated (senior students, n = 136; sophomore students, n = 206). Likert scale items and open-ended items are currently undergoing data analysis. Results of the pre-experimental posttest study as well as implications for nurse educators will be addressed. Conclusions based on evaluation of data will be linked to the current literature regarding implementation of peer support programs in the clinical setting. Researchers have reported outcomes of such programs to include decreasing anxiety in beginning level students, promoting mentoring and leadership skills in senior level students, and fostering collaboration skills among students ( Broscious & Saunders, 2001; Sprengel & Job, 2004.) In addition to these student-focused benefits, advantages to faculty and nursing programs will be articulated.