Perception of Bachelor of Science Nursing Student Peer Mentees on Peer Mentorship in Universities in Western Kenya
Anne Asiko Okanga
Lecturer, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Kaimosi Friends University, Vihiga, Kenya
ABSTRACT:
Mentoring is a critical support of education attributable to positive clinical competences in students. Peer mentorship is understood as a peer-to-peer developmental relationship, founded on multiple mentor approaches that accords benefits from the various experiences encountered by the mentor and mentee. The objective of the study was to examine the perception of Bachelor of Science Nursing (BScN) student peer mentees on peer mentorship by examining the experiences of peer mentees with their mentors through the process of mentorship and evaluating the change perception from the peer mentee perspective. The study was quasi experimental adopting qualitative methods of data collection. Peer mentorship was the intervention applied to the study being conducted in the schools of nursing offering BScN in sampled universities in Western Kenya that included MMUST, UEAB, Uzima University and GLUK. The study targeted second year nursing students and out of the total 386 students random sampling was done to yield participants that were included in the FGD. Data was analyzed using themes that described the change expected as experienced by the peer mentees as conceptualized in hermeneutic phenomenology. Results indicated that majority of the respondents were aged 19 years and female. All the peer mentees had prior concerns about the university that included, the kind of friends they would get, whether or not they will be bullied, uncertainties about the nursing course, fear of failing examinations, whether or not they would adapt to the clinical environment among others. From the experiences shared, the peer mentees narrated how they were supported in planning and executing their studies in synchrony with the course outlines. This helped them align their expectations with their experiences enabling them take charge of their learning. peer mentees developed positive self-esteem, leadership abilities, social connectedness and networking. Time management abilities on the side of the peer mentees was also developed as well as life skills. In conclusion, peer mentees perceived that peer mentorship was a positive activity that addressed their anxieties and fears while making them independent, strong and able to navigate challenges of the academic environment.
Published in: International Journal of Research in Interdisciplinary Studies (Volume 2, Issue 11, November 2024)
Page(s): 35-41
Date of Publication: 19/11/2024
Publisher: IJRIS
Cite as: Anne Asiko Okanga, “Perception of Bachelor of Science Nursing Student Peer Mentees on Peer Mentorship in Universities in Western Kenya,” in International Journal of Research in Interdisciplinary Studies, vol. 2, no. 11, pp. 35-41, November 2024.