Juntos Podemos is funded by HRSA
Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant No. 1 D19 HP40413-02
Norma Martínez Rogers, PhD, RN, Project Director
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Participation
Mentoring programs, such as "Juntos Podemos" can be seen as a continuum of caring. Initially this program teaches mentors to be mentors and protégés to be protégés. In the Protégé-to-Mentor program, the second semester student will have two roles. First, they will become a mentor to a first semester student. Secondly, they will remain as a protégé and continue to be mentored. These mentors/protégés will focus on shared support in two different ways. As mentors, they will take the skills learned from their mentors, who served as a tutor, counselor, and resource person to the next level. As protégés, they will continue to receive support and learn from their mentors to promote the essentials for success in completing their academic program. Students who begin as protégés will continue to be mentored throughout the time they are in nursing school.
Who can be a mentor?
Mentors must be passing successfully in all nursing courses and have at least one faculty recommendation. Selection of mentors is based on their multicultural awareness and willingness to grow; their sensitivity and understanding of values and lifestyles of different cultures; and their ability to interact effectively. Protégés will be students who are admitted to the nursing program and are willing to be active participants in this program.
Mentors will listen empathize, and help solve problems. They will teach their protégés how to talk to professors and provide information about various nursing and clinical courses. Mentors will take their prior student experiences to provide pertinent information to their protégés to help make the transition to nursing school easier. When a protégé is having problems with a course, and the mentor is unable to help him/her, the mentor will attempt to link them to academically successful nursing students or to other support services, which are available to nursing students.
"Juntos Podemos" helps build a community for nursing students who come from educationally and medically underserved areas by creating an environment for them to succeed academically. This program helps student nurses learn to develop a community of shared caring and ultimately, enrich their nursing practice. The dual role that the nursing student plays will help them gain well-developed critical thinking skills, and subsequently lead to superior academic performance, enhanced personal growth, and renewed self-confidence.
The benefits of being in "Juntos Podemos" are:
- Receive assistance in developing a sense of personal responsibility for their involvement in the program
- Enhance performance in both the classroom and clinical settings
- Develop leadership skills
- Receives more visibility than other nursing students
- Helps develop stronger student-to-student relationships and student-to-faculty relationships
- Learns to use support systems
- Achieves academic goals in a less stressful environment thus providing stability
- Derives more pleasure while pursuing goal to become a nurse
- Provides opportunities for individual and group tutoring
- Able to attend content reviews
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
