Purpose
The primary purpose of "Juntos Podemos" is to assist students through a mentoring program to reduce the negative effects of some of the educational and social disparities they may be experiencing in nursing school. The goals of "Juntos Podemos" are to improve the achievement of academically at-risk students, to increase student recruitment, retention, and academic progression, and to ultimately help students pass NCLEX on their first attempt.
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.
