The development of an innovative mentorship experience for an online RN-to-BSN program

Abstract

The Institute of Medicine, Carnegie Foundation and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) initially accelerated the movement to increase the number of Baccalaureate (BSN) prepared nurses in the workforce. Research demonstrated lower mortality rates, fewer medication errors and positive outcomes linked to nurses prepared at the BSN and higher levels. The purpose of this article is to describe the steps utilized in the development of an innovative mentorship project that provides mentored clinical practice experiences to students enrolled in an RN-to-BSN program delivered 100% online. This mentorship project was developed with two main aims in mind: 1) To develop two quality clinical practice mentorship experiences for online RN-to-BSN students and 2) To provide a process for the implementation and evaluation of the clinical practice mentorship experiences.