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As NurseMentor approaches its fifth season, we have a lot to celebrate! This past year, nursing students leaned on their mentors more than ever, and those mentors answered the call in spades.

Five years ago, a mentoring program at UCalgary Nursing was created to answer a call from our alumni: they told us they wanted to stay connected with their university and to share real-world experiences with the next generation of nurses. A formal mentoring program was developed soon after and kicked off within that year, with an online mentoring site designed to pair practicing RNs with undergraduate students for support during their education and through to transition.

Since then, NurseMentor has become a special place for practicing RNs and students to connect and motivate each other. For Laura McKenna, a mentor since 2018, the program has been a meaningful outlet for questions and sharing from both sides. 

“I’ve personally appreciated the energy, curiosity, and positivity that working with students brings to my professional life,” she says. “I understand and can clearly remember the difficult and demanding nature of nursing studies, and it’s my goal as a mentor to support students by helping them navigate what’s only the beginning of their unique journey in the practice of nursing.”

As for the students on the cusp of their careers, they have gained valuable insight from their mentors who work across all areas of nursing, from inner-city emergency departments to rural hospitals and UN encampments overseas.

NurseMentor has grown every year since it began, with mentors choosing to stay on for consecutive seasons and students coming back as new graduates to be mentors themselves! Let’s take a glance at the numbers over the years.