Big Nurse, Little Nurse

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

Big Nurse, Little Nurse was designed in order to bridge the gap between first year, Practical Nurse I (PNI) and second year, Practical Nurse II (PNII), students that attend Henrico County – St. Mary’s Hospital School of practical Nursing. These students attend three locations at different times of day, which makes it difficult to communicate with one another. Peer-to-peer interactions are a valuable tool in helping to achieve improved learning outcomes. This program was introduced to the second year nursing students (big Nurse) in order to provide mentoring to the first year nursing students (Little Nurse). The big Nurse group was given the task of developing activities that would help to increase communication and provide mentoring opportunities for the Little Nurse Group. The Big Nurse Group was charged with developing goals of the group and implementing the activities to reach stated goals. Over a two year period, the program has exceeded the goals set for it and proves to be a vital part of the nursing program’s success.