Title

Mentoring project for new nursing students a winner

Document Type

Media Release

Publication Date

Spring 27-9-2011

Publisher Name

The University of Notre Dame, Fremantle Campus

Publication Place

Fremantle

Abstract

“The program really helped me to ease into the demands of university life. It’s a wonderful feeling knowing that there’s someone you can go to for advice.” 1st year Nursing student.

Building on the great success of The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Mentor Program launched in 2009, the School of Nursing & Midwifery and the Student Life Office (SLO) have collaborated to offer the program to all first year Nursing students on the University’s Fremantle Campus.

Offered on a voluntary basis, the important pastoral care initiative connects first year students with second and third year Nursing students providing invaluable support as the new students make their transition into a tertiary learning environment.

The School of Nursing & Midwifery is the first school within the University to offer the Mentor Program to all their new students. Professor Selma Alliex, Dean of the School of Nursing, Fremantle, said she was delighted with the response to the initiative: “I am very proud of our students who have taken on the mentoring role. They undertake most of the activities in their own time in spite of a very busy semester load. We believe that this kind of mentoring is important to our commitment to assist our new students. It is a perfect fit with our clinical model which is a mentorship model of clinical supervision.”

An ‘Appreciation Lunch’ was held in September during which the contribution of the mentors was acknowledged, with each receiving a certificate of appreciation from Professor Alliex.

Coordinator of the Mentor Program, Ervina Ng, explains that the program has been growing from strength to strength since it was introduced in 2009:

“In addition to all the nursing students we also have mentors from other schools involved in mentoring over 400 new students on the Fremantle Campus. We have had an overwhelming response from new students heralding how valuable the support has been for them.”

For more information on the University’s Mentoring Programs please call 08 9433 0580 (Fremantle SLO) or 02 8204 4429 (Sydney SLO).


MEDIA CONTACT: Michelle Ebbs, Tel (08) 9433 0569, Mob 040 8959 138

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