Students Empowering Students Through Peer Mentorship: An Untapped Resource

Peer mentoring (PM) builds connections and promotes academic excellence by supporting students transitioning into higher education (Carragher & McGaughey, 2016). PM programs in nursing has also been reported to nurture nursing students’ professional identities (Lombardo, Wong, Sanzone, Filion, & Tsimicalis, 2017). Nursing students help their peers understand, critique, and resolve professional identity questions that arise throughout their undergraduate preparation (Price, 2009)..While a current PM committee within a Faculty of Nursing has successfully engaged the student body, it remains to be an untapped resource. Students with similar experiences can offer support regarding academics and provide important insight regarding the demands of the profession.An opportunity exists for peer mentors, mentees, and faculty members to become co-inquirers in exploring the nature of nursing and influence teaching and learning experiences in higher education. With students as drivers, PM has the potential to create a self-sustaining environment where strengthened and genuine student-teacher connections are privileged