[Type here] MEDICAL LIKE ME MENTORSHIP PROGRAM 2 Medical Like Me Mentorship Program Morgan B. Womble College of Nursing, East Carolina University NURS 8277: DNP Nursing Practice Project IV Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Dr. Jan Tillman April 18, 2022 Notes from the Author This project has come at a time of great need. COVID-19 has devasted our country and has undoubtedly tested many workers’ commitment to a continued career in health care. Therefore, we need to encourage young people to consider this rewarding, bountiful field now more than ever. Several individuals deserve acknowledgment for their contributions to the success of this project. Firstly, I would like to thank my two peers who partnered with me on this project. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to work with these two incredibly driven, strong leaders and am honored to call them my colleagues. I would not have made it through this rigorous program without their unwavering support. Secondly, I would like to thank my DNP project mentor for her endless encouragement of our efforts to create this impactful mentorship program. Lastly, I would like to dedicate this project to my amazing husband. Without his tireless support and companionship, I would not have had the stamina to complete this feat during such tumultuous times. Abstract North Carolina faces a healthcare workforce shortage which the recent pandemic has exacerbated. Health care entities are experiencing a mass exodus of nurses, providers, and interdisciplinary professionals. In Orange County, North Carolina, high school students lacked a healthcare mentorship program that encouraged entry into the healthcare field. The Medical Like Me Mentorship (MLM) program was developed to increase awareness among North Carolina high school students of opportunities in the medical profession and encourage a career in health care, particularly nursing. An exhaustive literature review revealed common themes for a successful mentorship program. Effective strategies included group counseling sessions, “pipeline programs,” shadow programs, and offering health science fairs. The project was implemented in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in collaboration with Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District administrators. The study population was 11th and 12th-grade students. Approximately 44 students attended up to eight professional speaking sessions. One hundred and thirty-two surveys were collected for data analysis. Seventy-two percent of the respondents reported the speaking sessions increased their interest in a career in health care; 86% reported an increase in knowledge of the different nursing roles; and 70% reported considering a career in nursing. The Medical Like Me Mentorship program has the potential to decrease the nurse staffing crisis, improve nursing retention, address patient safety concerns directly related to staffing shortages, provide exposure to diverse interdisciplinary professions, and encourage community involvement that supports the development of our adolescents. Other school districts could quickly adapt the MLM project due to the program’s structure and flexible virtual platform. This simple yet effective program makes it is easy to reach many students and school districts. Keywords: nurse, mentorship, high school student, career development, healthcare profession, nursing shortage, healthcare workforce shortage Table of Contents Notes from the Author………………………….………………………………………………... 2 Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………... 3-4 Section I: Introduction ..…………………………………………………………………………. 7 Background………………………………………………………………………………..7 Organizational Needs Statement…………………………………………………………..7 Problem Statement………………………………………………………………………...9 Purpose Statement…………………………………………………………………………9 Section II: Evidence……………………………………………………………………………...10 Literature Review…………………………………………………………………….10-19 Evidence-Based Practice Framework………………………………………………...20-21 Ethical Consideration and Protection of Human Subjects……………………………21-22 Section III: Project Design……………………………………………………………….………23 Project Site and Population…………………………………………………………...23-24 Project Team………………………………………………………………………….….24 Project Goals and Outcomes Measures………………………………………………24-26 Implementation Plan……………………………………………………………….…26-27 Timeline………………………………………………………………………………27-28 Section IV: Results and Findings………………………………………………………………...29 Results…………………………………………………………………………………....29 Discussion of Major Findings………………………………………………………........30 Section V: Interpretation and Implications………………………………………………………31 Costs and Resource Management………………………………………………………..31 Implications of the Findings………………………………………………………….31-33 Sustainability ………………………………………………………………………….....34 Dissemination Plan …………………………………………………………………..34-35 Section VI: Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………..36 Limitations and Facilitators…………..………………………………………………36-37 Recommendations for Others………………………………………………………...37-38 Recommendations for Further Study…………………………………………………38-39 Final Thoughts………………………………………………………………………..39-40 References……………………………………………………………………………………41-49 Appendices ………………………………………………………………………………………50 Appendix A: MLM Flyer………………………………………………………………...50 Appendix B: Medical Like Me Mentorship Program Survey……………………………51 Appendix C: Professional Speaker Question and PowerPoint Slide…………………….52 Appendix D: Project Timeline…………………………………………………………...53 Appendix E: Project Budget………………………………………………………….54-55 Section I: Introduction Background The Medical Like Me Mentorship Program (MLM) addresses the need to expand the healthcare workforce by connecting high school students interested in the medical field with local healthcare professionals. The program initiates mentorship opportunities to spark interest in young adults who intend to enter the medical field. The program is an extension of the Nurse Like Me Mentorship Program (NLM), which connects high school students pursuing a nursing degree with college nursing students of similar background for mentoring. Chapel Hill High School (CHHS) and UNC Health Care partnered with the author on this project. This high school is in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district (CHCCS), whose mission is to foster student engagement, empowerment, and inspiration (Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, n.d.). UNC Health Care’s clinicians encourage these goals by educating and supporting the next generation of healthcare workers (UNC Health, 2021b). Organizational Needs Statement The healthcare sector faces shortages of unseen proportions as medical professionals, specifically, nurses, leave the field every day. If the current exodus rate continues, there will not be enough staff to support the ever-growing need for quality health care at the local and national levels (American Nurses Association, 2020). Streeter et al. (2020) have also discussed improving health equity via recruitment and retention of medical professionals. With the current disequilibrium of those entering versus those exiting the medical field, addressing this shortage dilemma at the local level is becoming ever more critical. Despite educating approximately 3,900 high school students in the CHCCS district, the schools have limited mentorship opportunities focusing specifically on students interested in entering the medical field (Public School Review, n.d.). While the district does offer health-science-based courses, many of these are encompassed within a specialized program called the Career Technical Education (CTE) Biomedical track program. Unfortunately, this program requires an application process, unintentionally excluding students who might otherwise be interested in considering a career in health care. Additionally, there are no existing programs that expose students to the plethora of career opportunities in the healthcare sector. The educators and administrators in the CHCCS district expressed enthusiasm for partnering on the MLM initiative. The MLM program supported the North Carolina State Board of Education's (NCSBE’s) objectives for their 2025 Strategic Plan (North Carolina State Board of Education [NCSBE], 2021). The NCSBE plan encourages support of educators by using culturally appropriate preparation programs that invite innovative teaching techniques, remove opportunity gaps, cultivate outside classroom engagement opportunities for teachers, and improve access for students to college-level courses, dual credit programs, and shadow opportunities/apprenticeships by the year 2025 (NCSBE, 2021). In addition to addressing the NCSBE’s academic objectives, the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) (2020) Healthy North Carolina 2030 proposes health indicators to focus on through 2030. These include increasing economic security, increasing the primary care workforce, and dismantling structural racism. UNC Health Care is one of the nation's leading academic medical centers; with this group's assistance, CHCCS can address these health equity goals at the community level. Since UNC Medical Center employs over 7,000 individuals and serves over 37,000 patients per year, it is well-positioned to ignite local youth's interest in healthcare employment opportunities (UNC Health, 2021a). This structured, strategic approach can address the critical need to expand the local medical workforce and satisfy some of the Healthy North Carolina 2030 targets. Problem Statement North Carolina faces a healthcare workforce shortage which the recent pandemic has exacerbated. The United States nursing industry, for example, estimates needing an additional 176,000 nurses per year through 2029 (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2020). Community hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities are experiencing a mass exodus of nurses, providers, and interdisciplinary professionals (Xu et al., 2020). High school students in Orange County, North Carolina lack healthcare mentorship programs that aid and encourage entry into the medical field. Purpose Statement This project aimed to ignite high school student interest in the medical field at the community level by implementing the Medical Like Me Mentorship program. The program sought to increase awareness among diverse North Carolina high school students of opportunities in the medical profession. Its long-term goal was to address the need to expand the healthcare workforce in North Carolina and Orange County. Section II. Evidence Literature Review A literature matrix and search strategy tool were employed to ensure a thorough literature search. Databases used in the search process included CINHAL, ProQuest, PubMed, ECU One Search, and Google Scholar. In addition, some articles were requested from the East Carolina University (ECU) Laupus Health Science Library Librarian loan program via the Librarian Liaison to the College of Nursing. Keywords used in the search process were: nurse, nurses, nursing personnel, practical nurse, mentorship, nurse counselors, high school student, high school graduates, secondary schools, counselor, minority nurses, minority healthcare personnel, minority groups, cultural diversity, career development, healthcare profession, nursing shortage, healthcare workforce shortage, healthcare interest, and pipeline program. Preliminary search findings without exclusions resulted in 19,884 articles. The literature review involved both filtered and unfiltered searches. While systematic reviews and meta-analyses are preferred types of literature, the limited availability of these required a greater reliance on all levels of evidence. Inclusion criteria included articles published within the past five years, published in English, and primarily published in the United States (U.S.). One article published outside the U.S. appeared to parallel the author's project and was included in the review. After these inclusion criteria were applied, 841 articles remained for review. Articles that were not provided in full-text were not excluded at this stage since ECU’s library loan program has access to most articles through shared sources. The titles and findings sections of the 841 articles were skimmed for applicability to the subject, which resulted in 810 articles being excluded. Thirty-one articles remained for literature review and synthesis. Most articles provided Level III to Level V qualitative evidence; there were scant systematic reviews or meta-analyses for the subject being researched. Current State of Knowledge Healthcare workforce shortages plague our nation and are projected to get worse unless we promptly intervene. Due to the aging population and current exodus of workers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a need for a 15% increase in the number of healthcare workers by 2029, or approximately 2.4 million new positions (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021). Also important is the country's rapidly changing demographic profile. Between 2010 and 2017, there was a 91% increase in migration to the United States (Alexander & James, 2021). Most of the immigration was to the South, indicating an even greater need for nurses in this region and for a more culturally competent and diverse healthcare workforce to complement the changing demographics. Additionally, the percentage of Baby Boomers in the U.S. will steadily rise through 2029; the majority of these retirees are white. Since white females currently make up most of the country’s nursing workforce, there is an even greater need to recruit a diverse pool of applicants to replace the impending exodus of experienced nurses and healthcare workers (Alexander & James, 2021). Although the literature search revealed no best practice guidelines, abundant evidence has been published that supports the concept of mentorship programs in the healthcare field (Alexander & James, 2021; Burns et al., 2019; Chrastek et al., 2020; Crews et al., 2020; Danner et al., 2017; Gomez & Brostoff, 2018; Miller et al., 2020; Rux & Williams, 2020; Hall et al., 2020; Roche et al., 2021, Shermont et al., 2019; Shultz, 2019; Stickley & Riley, 2020). The literature supported various discipline-specific mentorship programs for medical, nursing, and interdisciplinary fields; however, there was limited success locating “all-inclusive” mentorship programs. This literature review focused on all nursing-specific mentorship programs since very few articles addressed high school mentorship programs for the healthcare profession. Nursing can be an exhausting profession, and those entering the profession or new to the role of the bedside nurse often feel overwhelmed, nervous, and inefficient. Both small and large healthcare organizations incorporate mentorship programs into their onboarding processes, but the evidence suggests that these structured teaching environments are preceptorships rather than true mentorships (Shermont et al., 2019; Stickley & Riley, 2020). Stickley and Riley (2020) defined preceptorships as an appointed role with a set end date that assists the new hire with work-related skill enhancement and refinement with a time management focus. A mentor, in contrast, is a “sought out” role that can last much longer than a preceptorship; the mentor assists with the personal and professional growth of the mentee (Stickley & Riley, 2020, para 4). Some mentorship initiatives were termed “pipeline programs.” There was quite a bit of literature to support these types of programs for underrepresented minorities (URMs) (Alexander & James, 2021; Burns et al., 2019; Crews et al., 2020; Gefter et al., 2018). Crews et al. (2020) suggested that mentorship personnel must be highly tactful, malleable, and gregarious with mentees from under-resourced backgrounds to recognize the hurdles and challenges these students must overcome to succeed at the collegiate level. Volunteers from the Baltimore, Maryland area served as role models and mentors and came from various medical sectors. Professionals included in the program were medical doctors, post-doctoral students, physician-scientists, and scientists. Danner et al. (2017) described the Reach One Each One (ROEO) pipeline medical exposure program, which provided opportunities for underrepresented youth to explore different healthcare professions with medical student mentors who also came from diverse backgrounds. Muppala and Prakash (2021) formed an 11-week intensive program in which high schoolers interested in a biomedical science track were exposed to various healthcare professions and fields. Students participated in hands-on workshops to explore different professional specialties, which primed them for future decisions on which professional direction to follow (Muppala & Prakash, 2021). Similarly, Gefter et al. (2019) formed an extensive three-year pipeline program targeting low-income communities based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Health Career Academy program aimed to inspire youth from disparate backgrounds to learn about and consider job opportunities within the healthcare industry. From involving only one medical school, one high school, and one local hospital at its inception, the program expanded and forged constructive relationships among 17 colleges and 17 high schools all over the U.S. Other disciplines are facing similar labor shortages. For example, in the field of dentistry, Burns et al. (2019) implemented a “Saturday Academy” to assist URMs and individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds with navigating the college application process, finding support resources, and sparking interest. Audet (2020) provided an avenue for igniting interest in speech pathology. A speech pathologist worked collaboratively with a local high school to develop a mentorship program to encourage minorities to consider this profession. It started with a small discussion group to pique interest in this niche discipline and led to an annual event that included a “Day of Discovery” field trip to a local college during which students could speak and interact with instructors and spend time in the research labs. This program resulted in a quick increase in minority enrollment. Similarly, Strain and Sullivan (2019) reported a Minnesota Department of Health Public Health (MDH-PHL) program that addressed staffing shortages by using community outreach to recruit future applicants. Training sessions encouraged mentorships between students and clinical employees and promoted student confidence through exposure to different areas in the lab. The MDH-PHL program also participated in Scrubs Camp25, which introduced middle school and high school students to health science careers via direct communication with laboratory professionals (Strain & Sullivan, 2019). Lastly, Ching (2019) took advantage of health science exposure activity via a career day and offered guest lecturer sessions to local public high school students to expose them to the role of an occupational therapist. Despite the lower level of supporting evidence, the creative state and regional recruitment initiatives for increasing the healthcare workforce appear to be significant. Several newsletters from state boards of nursing explained efforts to address the pressing workforce issue. Rhode Island may have been the most pivotal change agent: it implemented a new health science track in its secondary school systems (Potera, 2019). The state offered a free public-school option targeting underprivileged minority high school youth; a random lottery system was used to select applicants. The program allowed students to complete prerequisites via a “Middle College” program affiliated with a local community college. This accelerated the students’ advancement because the program allowed approximately 20 college credits to be transferred into a nursing-related program (Potera, 2019). Other states and locations, including Missouri, Arkansas, Nevada, New Jersey, and Southwest Ontario, have emulated Rhode Island’s approach to early mentorship programs through shadowing and apprenticeships (Anonymous, 2020; Schultz, 2019; Stickley & Riley, 2020; Robinson et al., 2017; Rux & Williams, 2020). Students fortunate enough to enroll in shadow opportunities or apprenticeships with healthcare professionals have found much value in this hands-on experience. Tangible clinical practice supersedes other guidance initiatives via engaging and engulfing the student in the medical environment. Schultz (2019) reviewed Missouri’s approach to apprenticeship by utilizing "nursing bands" for students interested in the healthcare field (p. 7). These “bands” acted as a segue into to the nursing profession by providing nursing assistants with basic nursing training courses. The nursing assistant works at a local health organization that supports that individual to obtain a Registered Nurse degree. Another flagship program implemented in Massachusetts in 2003 is called the Student Career Opportunity Outreach Program (SCOOP). This program placed the participant in a local pediatric hospital environment for a summer internship, working alongside a nurse (Gomez & Brostoff, 2018). The previously mentioned ROEO program was a six-week shadow program where small cohorts of 4-6 students spent an unspecified number of half-day rotations under an attending physician or resident physician from various disciplines in the hospital. The program targeted URM students (Danner et al., 2017). Summer internships are similar to shadowing programs but allow the participants to immerse themselves in the environment without worrying about other studies. For example, Baker and McGee (2017) took advantage of a two-week pre-college summer program to expose 11th and 12th graders to various nursing roles. They offered three courses to demonstrate different directions and disciplines within the nursing field. These courses included: "Advances in Cardiovascular Medicine and Technology; Forensics, Violence and Crime in U.S. Public Health; and Global Health Leadership in the 21st Century” (Baker & McGee, 2017, para 1). A large number of research studies supported the benefits of hands-on, interactive sessions and health science career days (Audet, 2020; Ching, 2019 Fischer et al., 2020, Robinson et al., 2017; Rosser et al., 2018). Fisher et al. (2020) inspired youth to consider nursing as a profession. Their goal was to raise student awareness of the scope of nursing responsibility, explain job security and pay rates, and expose students to potential professional development and educational advancement in this career (Fisher et al., 2020). A similar initiative addressed the ever-growing shortage of surgeons. Through mentorship and simulated hands-on experiences, the SAGES Mini Medical School (SMMS) showed high school students the uniqueness and challenges of the surgical specialty (Rosser et al., 2018). Acknowledging that adolescents are highly influenced by social media, peers, and parents is another crucial point to consider when searching for solutions to address the healthcare workforce shortages, and specifically, the nursing shortage (Bittner, 2019; Glerean et al., 2017; McGee et al., 2019; Ockert, 2019). Many students have little insight into the opportunities available in the nursing profession. They may also have a skewed perception of the modern nurse’s role in health care. Glerean et al. (2017), for example, suggested using social media to endorse the occupation by modernizing the appearance of nursing as a career option. Bittner (2019) also advised a different approach to get “buy-in” from youth. Adaptive teaching methods were recommended to focus on the millennial generation's needs. More seasoned mentors were encouraged to recognize and accept generational differences to foster this symbiotic relationship so that both parties could grow together (Bittner, 2019). McGee et al. (2019) formed four focus groups comprised of African American and Latinx youth to better grasp an understanding of the deterrents from entering the nursing profession. Focus group sessions were supported by Kansas City community-based health programs (i.e., Community Partnership in Health and Young Women on the Move), and common themes were noted from the discussions. The intention was to utilize these findings to support future initiatives to decrease health disparities and encourage minority recruitment into the field of nursing. Career readiness programs help prepare students to enter the workforce or seek a higher educational degree (Baker & McGee, 2017; Bhat & Stevens, 2021; Falco & Shaheed, 2021; Harris et al., 2020; Martinez et al., 2017; Ockert, 2019). Harris et al. (2020), for example, used a SPARK life coaching model to assist African American female students in preparing for college. Their program employed school counselors to facilitate group mentoring sessions that offered a safe environment for the student to share stories and experiences regarding future plans for school or to enter the workforce. The students also identified individual needs for academic success and developed a group comradery that instilled hope and uplifted the group to advance together (Harris et al., 2020). As implied above, school counselors are strategically positioned to offer educational resource information about the field of health care. However, counselors can be overwhelmed with the daunting task of finding creative ways to support each student individually. Several studies suggested that group counseling sessions instead of individual sessions were more beneficial for the student, especially for those from underrepresented backgrounds (Bhat & Stevens, 2021; Harris et al., 2020; Martinez et al., 2017). Martinez et al. (2017) encouraged group classroom guidance models in school settings, as these seemed to be particularly effective for those coming from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Bhat and Stevens (2021) followed the American School Counselor Associations' recommendations for incorporating a career-focused classroom curriculum into the students’ learning plan, reinforcing the benefits of group work to prepare students for postsecondary educational opportunities. Current Approaches to Solving Population Problem How can young people be inspired to pursue a career in health care? Broadly analyzing benefits from previous guidance programs will help determine which practice would be best for at the high school level. Because the success of any project requires buy-in from stakeholders, it was imperative to assess the community's individual needs before hastily choosing which type of intervention to apply. The CHCCS district has a career technical education (CTE) department that offers diverse educational opportunities for personal development. The program frames studies to prepare students for real-life experiences post-graduation (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, n.d.). For example, the CTE department has a healthcare track affiliated with the non-profit organization Project Lead the Way (PLTW). The PLTW program aims to redefine the classroom by providing structured hands-on learning that offers diplomatic skills that can translate into the student’s everyday life and encourages critical thinking and creativity within the student’s chosen field of study (Project Lead the Way, n.d.). Educators with the PLTW courses in the CHCCS district described prior considerations to address gaps related to inadequate mentorship opportunities for students interested in the healthcare field. Considerations included individualized shadowing opportunities, group shadowing at the local emergency department, and collaborating with the high school’s health science club. Unfortunately, some of these ideas could not be implemented due to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations and the logistical challenges associated with off-site shadowing. In additional meetings, some new suggestions were formed in collaboration with the educators and the author. Suggestions included a virtual tour of hospital departments, a website providing information on various medical profession roles, disclosure of local and national scholarship opportunities to students, and lunch and learn lectures by professional guest speakers working in the healthcare field. The group subsequently determined there was a significant need for a mentorship program that connects the students with local healthcare professionals. Fortunately, the CHCCS district was positioned around a central hub of several large academic medical centers. Coincidentally, these organizations were continually recruiting suitable candidates for healthcare professions, so developing a bridge program to connect these two groups was considered an efficient way to promote entry into the healthcare workforce. The literature review provided many feasible intervention strategies to support the needs expressed by CHCCS’s educators and potentially impact students at these partnering sites. The evidence suggested the following options were best suited to meet the needs of the community: career readiness programs, health science, career days, science fairs, and shadowing and internship programs. Several of these concepts were melded together in a customized mentoring program embedded in the students’ early health science courses. Evidence to Support the Intervention The most promising academic environment involves peer-to-peer interactive learning opportunities. Most studies of this approach found it to be healthy, positive, and uplifting, especially for URMs (Harris et al., 2020; Martinez et al., 2017). Peer learning sessions can positively affect an individual's professional course by addressing the learner's cognitive and affective goals (Falco & Shaheed, 2021). They also provide students a sense of unity and encourage them to explore otherwise unconsidered career options. Educators were enthusiastic about having volunteer mentors at each school providing casual, interactive lectures on diverse healthcare professions. The interactive approach has been shown to create a safe environment where students can ask questions about the professions. With this approach, students can feel comfortable asking questions, learn from one another, and gain resiliency to move forward with their life's goal (Harris et al., 2020). Evidence-Based Practice Framework Kram (1983) proposed a conceptual framework for the development of a mentoring relationship and outlined how this relationship benefits both parties involved. Interestingly, the original research was geared towards corporate management leadership development, but Kram’s theory has been adapted and used in all types of settings, including health care and academia. He identified four phases of mentorship: initiation, cultivation, separation, and redefinition (Kram, 1983, p. 614-621). The initiation phase establishes goals and rapport with the mentee, introduces them to the partnership, and discusses expectations. The cultivation phase assists with building trust and offers guidance on securing a fully functional communal relationship between the mentor and mentee. The separation phase signals the beginning of the end of the relationship: the mentee or mentor notices structural changes in the relationship or recognizes that the relationship has changed or will change pending organizational circumstances. Finally, the last redefinition phase involves a new relationship that implies friendship or causal counseling. This may be prompted by the mentee feeling equal to the mentor and/or the mentor feeling proud that the mentee has achieved successes as a result of the mentoring relationship. Kram’s mentorship theory provided an excellent framework for this project and my overall scholarly goals. I aspire to develop this mentoring program into a statewide initiative of focused one-on-one mentoring. This initial demonstration project was implemented in a group setting where the mentees could establish a baseline relationship with the volunteer mentor. Suppose specific needs were not met during the mentor’s initial presentation. In that case, students could also obtain one-on-one casual mentorship from the volunteer mentor to address questions and concerns or to secure additional resource information. Additionally, students will eventually be able to access a website being designed by another ECU Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) student who will provide additional information about diverse healthcare professions and roles. The website will provide general information about career paths in the healthcare sector as well as scholarship information and descriptions of local college and university programs of interest. Ethical Consideration & Protection of Human Subjects ECU guided the author through formal approval processes such as the University and Medical Center Institutional Review Board (UMCIRB) approval. The UMCIRB process requires the completion of the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) modules, which helps the novice researcher understand the implications and processes for conducting safe and ethical human subject research. Additionally, the school provided online training for the IRB review process via ePirate, helped initiate the UMCIRB application, provided resource materials through the University’s Research website, and paired the author with an experienced professor who guided the author through the IRB application process.  Educators in the East Carolina University DNP discipline provided thorough training in the ethical considerations of research participation. They introduced the Bellmont Report early in the doctoral program to ensure that each doctoral student understood the complexities and significance of fostering ethical research practices. This report emphasized basic ethical principles, including respect of persons, beneficence, and justice (National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, 1979). The CITI modules discussed each principle and emphasized the intention of non-maleficence (Hennekens & Drowos, 2017). Non-maleficence means to “first do no harm” or to do “the most good for the most people” (Hennekens & Drowos, 2017, para 8-9). DNP students have been provided extensive training on this matter, in line with ECU’s mission to ensure students understand the basic concepts, key terms, persons, and roles are understood. Additionally, students received consistent reminders on how to ensure the safety of the research scholar and their research participants when engaged in a research initiative. The author completed the CITI program modules on the implications of conducting human subject research (Hadden et al., 2018). While there is minimal harm associated with the Medical Like Me (MLM) project, one consideration was the involvement of minors enrolled in the research. Special precautions were necessary to ensure students and parents were aware of the information being collected for the study. While no personal or identifying information was collected, a unique identifier chosen by the individual participant was created to allow the correlation of survey responses. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro School district did not require formal IRB approval. However, since this project was an extension of the flagship “Nurse Like Me Mentorship Program,” the author completed a communal IRB application with the NLM team members to prevent future unforeseen IRB requests. The IRB approval process guides doctoral students through sections that address safety, data collection and storage, risks and benefits, the informed consent process (including consent of minors where applicable), objectives and design, and methods for gathering data. Section III. Project Design Project Site and Population The MLM program was implemented in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, at Chapel Hill High School. The population participating in the program included 11th to 12th-grade students who were enrolled in the schools’ health science career technical education courses. Sessions were open to students interested in learning more about healthcare professions, at the discretion of the CHHS teacher contact. In order to spur interest in the sessions, a flyer was provided to the CHHS site coordinator to distribute. Flyers aimed to engage additional students not already enrolled in a health science track (see Appendix A). Description of the Setting The participating high school was Chapel Hill High School, a public entity located in Orange County, North Carolina. Most Orange County residents are between the ages of 18-64; 52.2% are female and 14.0% are over 65 years of age. The county’s racial profile is 60% white, 20% Hispanic, 13% African American, and 3% combined Burmese and other Asian population. However, it is important to note that minority percentages vary by municipality (Orange County includes Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and Hillsborough) (Orange County Health Department & Healthy Carolinians of Orange County, 2019). During 2015-2019, the annual median household income in Orange County was $71,723 (U.S. Department of Commerce, n.d.). The professional speaking sessions took place virtually in a classroom setting. Attendance by students was mandatory since the speaking session was incorporated into the teacher’s curriculum. A schedule of speakers from diverse healthcare professions was published at the beginning of the semester. Description of the Population The study population consisted of ninth through twelfth high school students from the CHCCS district. Chapel Hill High School students who participated were enrolled in the PLTW Biomedical Science courses. These students had an intention of entering the biomedical field after graduation. Participating students attended virtual speaking sessions that were incorporated into their curriculum. Survey responses were only accepted from students who completed the appropriate assent form in conjunction with their parental consent forms. Project Team The project team included a project leader, a project site champion, and a site teacher coordinator. There were several administrators and teachers in the planning original discussions but only one primary teacher contact from CHHS ended up incorporating the project into her curriculum. The project leads from the flagship Nurse Like Me (NLM) Mentorship Program were also available for coordination as needed. Project Goals and Outcome Measures The project goal was to address the healthcare workforce shortage at the community level by motivating local high school youth to consider health science careers. The long-term goal is to develop a statewide program that offers different solutions to address the workforce shortage goal. In a statewide program, leaders in individual communities as well as local administrators, counselors, teachers, and students will have access to the resource information through a website that is to be developed by an East Carolina University DNP student working with the NLM project team on this initiative. A post-lecture survey of study participants was conducted to determine whether participants felt the guest speakers empowered them and/or educated them on their area of expertise (see Appendix B for the survey questions). Data were analyzed by the project team lead. Description of the Methods and Measurement This program development project planned to conduct surveys of participants throughout the semester and then compile the surveys to evaluate responses. The questionnaire was designed to determine if a mentorship program using local professionals from a range of disciplines incites student interest in the healthcare field. Some questions were nursing-specific to determine if the speaking sessions inspired the student to consider a profession in nursing. After each guest speaker session, the coordinating teacher administered the Google survey, which collected both quantitative and qualitative data. Students were able to use either their mobile device or their computer to complete the survey using a link provided by the teacher. A hard copy of the survey was also available for students, as needed. The coordinating teachers collected and stored any hard copy surveys in a folder in a locked cabinet in their classroom until the project lead gathered them at the end of the semester. Electronic data were housed in a secure app that was dually password-protected on the project lead’s phone. The project lead analyzed the survey data. The project lead strategically requested volunteer speakers from diverse demographic backgrounds to present at the schools. Speakers were sought out from the nursing, respiratory therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician, and radiology technology disciplines. Most of the speakers worked at UNC Health Care, a prominent local academic medical center affiliated with the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Some presenters were clinical specialists and experts from niche departments at UNC Health Care or Duke Health. Specialty presentations included a wound-ostomy specialist, an ECMO team member, a Rapid Response Nurse, a Nurse Scientist, a Physical Medicine and Rehab Physician, and a Neurosurgeon. Other presenters included a Nurse Practitioner, a Gastrointestinal Clinical Nurse II, and a Nursing administrator. Flyers to support and encourage attendance for lunch and learns were placed in public locations throughout the schools at the beginning of the semester for students to view (see Appendix A). Discussion of the Data Collection Process In order to determine if the program increased student knowledge about healthcare career paths, data were required to evaluate the initiative. Students who attended a speaking session received a post-session survey to determine the speakers’ influence on the student. The surveys offered a personalized identifier option for students who planned to attend multiple speaker sessions, although this was not a requirement. Since there were numerous guest lecturers, the survey asked students who attended more than one session to indicate how many sessions they had observed. If a participant had provided a personalized identifier, the project lead correlated the students’ perceptions over time. This enabled the project lead to determine if those who attended multiple sessions were swayed towards considering a career in nursing. Implementation Plan The mentorship program was implemented via volunteers from a large academic medical center functioning as guest lecturers at the partnering local high school. Professional speakers invited to participate in this initiative represented diverse ethnic, racial, and gender backgrounds. The speakers provided an overview of their specific roles in the medical field and answered students' questions, concerns, and inquiries. During July and August of 2021, the project leaders worked with the site teacher coordinator and administrators from CHHS to develop a schedule for the series of speaking sessions. The project lead then filled the scheduled time slots with volunteer guest speakers. On the day of each session, the teacher virtually connected and interviewed the professional speaker using Google Meetings. The site coordinator had a standardized set of questions created by the project lead for the speakers to answer (see Appendix C). The guest speakers were encouraged to share items, photos, slide presentations, and/or any resource pertinent to their presentation. Sessions were highly individualized and were as formal or casual as the speaker desired. Upon completion of each speaking engagement, quantitative and qualitative data were collected via a Google Survey link. The project team lead reviewed each speaking session and then sent the recorded link to the East Chapel Hill High School teacher contact for integration into her curriculum. Timeline The MLM project came to fruition in Fall 2020. The project evolved over 16 months. The IRB review process was initiated between May and July 2021 (see Appendix D for the full timeline). Initial discussions with the CHCCS district’s Career Technical Education Director occurred between August and October 2020. After agreeing to be a site champion for the project, the CTE director secured approval from the school district’s Assistant Superintendent in Spring 2021. Key contacts from Chapel Hill High School were provided by the CTE Director for project planning purposes. Multiple meetings and virtual group discussions transpired with the school contacts between October 2020 and July 2021. The project lead recruited the volunteer speakers and finalized a formal speaker list in July 2021. After forming an implementation plan, the project lead and teacher agreed that the project would be implemented between September and December 2021 in a virtual format due to visitor restriction concerns related to the Covid-19 pandemic. In August 2021, a digital copy of the flyer was provided for the teacher to distribute to her students as she saw fit. The teacher provided student and parental consent forms at the beginning of the fall semester, in August 2021. This allowed time for the completion of the documents to ensure privacy rights were maintained. In September 2021, bi-monthly speaker sessions began. They took place during one of the lead teachers’ classes at her discretion. Post-surveys were accessed via a Google Survey link and facilitated by the lead teacher who had helped coordinate and implement the virtual speaking sessions. After all survey data were collected, the results were compiled and analyzed between December 2021 and May 2022. After reviewing the survey results, the data were disseminated in May 2022. Section IV. Results and Findings Results Approximately 44 students attended up to eight professional speaking sessions. One hundred and forty-eight students completed a survey following the speaking session; however, only 132 of these completed the proper assent/consent form process. No demographic information was collected during this project, though a unique, personalized identifier was requested to correlate data findings (discussed in the proceeding section). The survey responses are depicted in Figure 1. Seventy-two percent of the students reported that the speaking sessions increased their interest in a career in health care. Among participants in the nursing-related speaking sessions, 86% reported that their knowledge of the different nursing roles increased and 70% said they were now considering a career in nursing. Figure 1 Medical Like Me Survey Responses Note. Three primary questions were requested of students with a total of 132 responses. Discussion of Major Findings The survey results suggest that incorporating a mentorship program into high school curriculums is valuable. Congruently, many of the mentorship programs found in the literature review showed the benefits of having role models from the healthcare profession. The most similar of these to the MLM program was the Baltimore, Maryland program, which encouraged volunteer mentors from various healthcare disciplines to form relationships with local youth (Crews et al., 2020). Pipeline programs were also a common theme in the literature. While the MLM professional speaking initiative is not considered a “pipeline program,” some of its characteristics have a similar purpose: to educate, expose, and groom students to engage in a healthcare path (Burns et al., 2019; Danner et al., 2017). Many studies reported in the literature aimed to increase underrepresented minorities in the healthcare field. While the MLM program has a long-term goal of reaching minority youth, no demographic information was collected from the participants to assess this issue. Despite this, the project was designed to mitigate demographical stereotypes associated with certain professions by selecting professional speakers from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Career readiness programs and group counseling were other standard topics in the literature. The MLM program offered opportunities for questions following the presentations and later via email if the mentee wished. Informal feedback from the educators suggested the students were excited about most of the speaking sessions and were comfortable asking questions in a group setting; the students also appeared to be galvanized by the other students’ enthusiasm about the healthcare field. Section V. Interpretation and Implications Costs and Resource Management A cost-benefit analysis of instituting this program without a doctoral student’s assistance is provided in Appendix E. It may appear relatively simple to orchestrate professional speaking sessions. However, considerable time is needed for planning this type of project. Labor hours are necessary for project lead planning; educator planning; professional speakers’ coordination and planning; initial research; IRB submission, revision, and approval; project development; parental consent; minor assent form creation, distribution, and collection, etc. Supply costs are minimal, but costs for flyers and posters need to be budgeted for. It is also essential to plan for IT support of the virtual platform to ensure no glitches occur. This project could easily be continued with minimal added costs on a larger scale. The program recruited volunteers who were excited about their professions to share their experiences and stories with local youth. The purpose was to ignite student enthusiasm about entering the profession. The bulk of the cost involved the time needed to coordinate the efforts. This time could be minimized by using standardized email templates and interview questions to coordinate future speaking sessions. Another cost-saving option for large-scale implementation would be to record the speaking sessions rather than rely on live presentations. Once the implementing organization feels they have enough content from the speakers, they can recycle previous presentations, eliminating the time associated with organizing the individual speaking sessions. Implications of the Findings The Medical Like Me Mentorship program stemmed from a bold idea to provide a proactive approach to addressing the healthcare workforce shortage. This project proved effective at the local level, as evidenced by the student reactions to the professional speaking sessions. Not only did the students benefit from those learning opportunities, but most speakers also reported finding joy in supporting this good cause and contributing to their community. In addition, the project can enhance wellness by supporting students who will eventually join the workforce. The study results were thus encouraging. The project positively affected the healthcare field at the local level and can impact health and well-being at the state level. They suggest the value of continuing this mentorship program. Implications for Patients In 2020, it was estimated that over 1.1 million more registered nurses would be needed nationwide by 2022 (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2020). In addition, a shortage of 37,800 to 124,000 physicians is expected by the year 2034 (Association of American Medical Colleges, 2021). The recent COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these anticipated shortfalls. The magnitude of these vacancy rates would significantly impact patient safety, patient satisfaction, and the timeliness of patient care. Therefore, a proactive approach that encourages our youth to consider a healthcare career is necessary to address these healthcare shortages. The Medical Like Me Mentorship program supports these national patient safety concerns by promoting the field via professional speaking sessions at the high school level. By incorporating this program into the CHCCS district curriculum, youth can now learn about an array of possible career paths in the healthcare sector. With increased exposure to various healthcare occupations, vacancy rates could slowly fall, which eventually could considerably improve the quality of care patients receive. Implications for nursing practice Increased interest in the nursing profession from local students and youth via mentorship programs like the MLM could eventually lessen nursing staffing shortages. This, in turn, could decrease nurse burnout rates by supporting adequate nurse-to-patient ratios, which would lead to improved work satisfaction and, ultimately, staff retention. Improving staffing ratios will encourage the sustainability of the future nursing workforce. In addition to these direct community benefits an expanded nursing workforce provides, the MLM gives the current healthcare workforce a tangible connection to local youth. Most people who enter the healthcare field want to help people; they benefit from contributing to the community. This program provides satisfaction to speakers by allowing them to show how their profession truly makes a difference in the world. Impact for Healthcare System Intradisciplinary collaboration is a pillar of quality healthcare. Without coordination across all disciplines, patient care and outcomes will suffer. A program like MLM aims to encourage students to enter the nursing profession. It also informs them about various professional opportunities and disciplines in the healthcare field. This unique program can have a multi-system effect on the workforce shortage. Not all students will be interested in nursing but exposing students to diverse professional options can encourage them to enter the healthcare profession. Involving local volunteers empowers them to share their knowledge and expertise to enthused adolescents. This promotes camaraderie and reflects the essence of what it means to work in health care: giving yourself to others. In addition, mentorship opportunities in the healthcare system provide mentors professional growth opportunities, build leadership skills, and connect speakers to the local community. As a side benefit, these relationships and personal development initiatives can increase staff retention, which significantly impacts the healthcare system. Sustainability This MLM project could be sustained with assistance from future ECU nursing students. However, since the program is new, a point person (i.e., a future DNP student) must continue to bridge local healthcare workers, educators, and high school students. Ideally, the project would continue in the Orange County community, but it could quickly be instituted in any community interested in building a mentorship program. While DNP student involvement would help streamline the program for continuation, the previous sessions could easily be recycled for teachers' use in subsequent semesters because they were recorded. Although in-person presentations remain preferable for the reasons discussed above, these recordings could be used throughout the district. Dissemination Plan Dedicating energy to developing a proper dissemination plan is vital in the final stages of the DNP Project. This allows the author to showcase the labor put into this project and to help translate the evidence-based research into practice, which is a core goal of the doctorate-prepared nurse. Data must be tactfully distributed to ensure that key stakeholders and organizations appreciate the analysis. The author intends to submit and distribute the findings through scholarly journals and national conference presentations. The author will create a poster and submit a poster, abstract, and/or manuscript on the following timeline: · East Carolina University’s “The ScholarShip,” by April 21, 2022. · NCNA 2022 Annual Convention in Raleigh, N.C., by April 15, 2022. · Journal of Professional Nursing, by December 31, 2022. · American Journal of Nursing, by December 31, 2022. These well-known entities provide and encourage continuing education, support research, and are likely to reach the most people. Section VI. Conclusion Limitations and Facilitators As with any project, unexpected events occurred that required modifications to the original plan. For example, the study was limited due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the project was designed to voluntarily involve all students interested in learning about the healthcare profession during their lunch hour. However, due to privacy rights and parental consent challenges, the feasibility of obtaining proper consent before a student attended a lunch and learn session was considered low. In practice, district-wide COVID-19 restrictions also did not allow for open lunches nor the entry of guests or visitors on school grounds. Therefore, the professional speaking sessions were entirely virtual and were presented to the students during their biomedical courses. The sessions were recorded and shared with a teacher at another school, but there was no control over when or if the presentations were incorporated into the other educators’ curricula. These limitations decreased the expected participation and survey responses and limited participation to those with an underlying interest in the healthcare field. Additionally, the recordings did not include the students' questions, so other classes that viewed the recordings were not privy to those questions and responses. Students’ inability to ask direct questions to the speaker may have influenced their survey responses. Technological constraints also affected implementation. For example, one of the speakers did not know how to log into the virtual meeting platform and needed technical assistance. Lastly, one major hurdle that proved more time-consuming than expected was the IRB review process. This was due to the involvement of minors. Not only did the project require a complete IRB process without exemptions, but privacy rights had to be maintained. The stipulations for privacy protections meant that no student voice recordings or video recordings of the entire classroom could be gathered. Flexibility is a virtue when designing and implementing a new project, and many people facilitated this program. Project planning was smooth due to excellent cooperation with CHCCS administrators. Initial contact with the CTE director was highly positive: she was willing to assist the project to benefit the students fully. The educators were easy to work with and always ready to participate in a meeting during the initial planning phase. Due to the complexities arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the educators offered to use a virtual platform. The professional speakers were more than ready to assist with this project; the number who were willing to volunteer their personal time to support local youth was striking. Although already working overtime and exhausted from the impact of the pandemic, many of the speakers were supportive of this initiative. Several said the only way out of the current staffing crisis was to encourage and engage with their local communities; they felt they were positively impacted by participating in the project. Recommendations for Others The author recommends attending to several issues when replicating this study. First, ensure that IRB approval is obtained before initiating the project. This is critical because it can be extremely challenging to secure IRB approval when minors are involved in the research. The process is time-consuming and requires forethought, depending on what data will be collected and whether demographic information will be obtained. Parental consent and minor assent forms were needed, which took time to develop, revise, and administer before the implementation could begin. Second, key stakeholders should be included in the initial discussions and the project approval process since minors are involved. After a lead administrator approves the project, the author recommends recruiting one collaborating teacher at each school since it can be challenging to coordinate with multiple instructors at the same site. Lastly, it is essential to be flexible. Offering a virtual option can help the educators and provide a fail-safe if visitor restrictions are in place like those experienced by this author. In addition, the virtual platform offers a way to collect and share the speakers’ presentations and allows the educator to develop a toolkit for future curricula. With dedication and support from future ECU DNP students and the reuse by educators of content created by this project, this project could easily be replicated on a large scale, even statewide. Since the program was implemented virtually, the recordings can be used in future courses, making it easy to sustain the program. Recommendations for Further Study This project is an extension of the Nurse Like Me Mentorship program. The original aspiration was to implement it statewide. Therefore, it would be ideal for a future DNP student from ECU to build and adapt this project for their own community. Additionally, it would be essential for the author or other NLM project team members to liaise with future program coordinators to answer questions and provide guidance based on their experiences with this flagship program. This would assist the future implementor in overcoming obstacles and barriers. The program already has plans to expand its reach through a public website that will provide a healthcare profession toolkit. A different ECU DNP student is focusing her final project on this effort. The toolkit will include resource information on mentorship opportunities, interviews with representatives of other healthcare professions, hyperlinks to scholarship opportunities, and information about local community colleges and universities that offer specific degrees and courses of study. This simple website will be an easy way to reach many students and school districts. A mentorship program is a wonderful way to ease youth entry into any professional setting, whether healthcare, trade work, business, engineering, etc. The MLM project could quickly be adapted to other populations and professions due to the program’s structure and virtual flexibility. Once the initial recordings are completed, the links can be sent to any local high school or middle school for integration into the curricula. Another consideration for future study is implementing similar style speaking events at local middle schools. Students are increasingly expected to choose their career path earlier in high school to be on track for college study. Therefore, giving teenagers in middle school an opportunity to hear about the plethora of career options within healthcare, may heighten interest in choosing a biomedical tract. Final Thoughts According to the American Hospital Association (2021), the healthcare workforce has lost approximately 500,000 jobs since February 2020. The best way to address this crisis is to act now at the local and state levels. The Medical Like Me Mentorship Program addresses this by connecting high school students interested in the medical field with local healthcare professionals. The MLM program worked with CHCCS educators and volunteer healthcare professionals to provide professional presentations to Orange County high school students. The goal was to increase the students’ knowledge of various healthcare disciplines and professions, particularly nursing. The MLM program introduced the speaking sessions into the CHCCS district’s CTE biomedical track. It allowed students to explore various health care disciplines that they may want to pursue. Volunteers from local hospitals described their career paths to encourage the students to enter their healthcare discipline. In addition, volunteers acted as mentors; they were available to answer a question immediately after the presentations or later, by email, if students so desired. This mentorship program could also reduce the nursing staffing crisis, improve nursing retention, and encourage professional growth opportunities for participating volunteers. A virtual program option can be expanded or replicated in future curricula. The literature supports the program design; survey responses also suggest the program can generally positively impact healthcare staffing shortages. References Alexander, G. R., & James H. (2021). 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Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 21(10), 1371–1377. https://doi.org.2020.08.002 Appendix A MLM Flyer Appendix B Medical Like Me Mentorship Program Survey Personalized Identifier: ____________ 1. Are you currently enrolled in health sciences courses? (Circle One) Yes No 2. Have you and your parents completed a consent form to attend these sessions? (Circle One) Yes No 3. How many lunch and learns have your attended? ______________ (Write Total Number) 4. Do you feel this session has made you more aware of different career paths available to you within the health care profession? Yes Somewhat No 5. If the session was nursing related, have these sessions increased your knowledge of the different types of roles you can pursue within the nursing profession? Yes Somewhat No Not Applicable 6. Have these sessions made you think about switching to a career in nursing ? (Circle one) Yes No 7. Do you plan on applying for a scholarship for a health science degree (Circle one) Yes No Appendix C Professional Speaker Question and PowerPoint Slide Appendix D Project Timeline Action Date Planning Task Fall 2020 Project concept and partnering high schools determined by project lead and Nurse Like Me Team members August 2020 - October 2020 Discussions and Pre-approval via Career Technical Education Director August 2020- March 2021 Approval from Assistant Super Intendent Oct 2020- July 2021 Group meetings with teachers from ECHHS and CHHS October 2020- July 2021 Professional Speaker List determined and finalized August 2021 Student and parental consent forms sent out by teachers when semester started September 2021- December 2021 Bi-monthly professional speakers complete virtual presentations to students. Teachers ensure surveys are completed via QRS scan code or hard-copy provided January 2022- May 2022 Survey results analyzed and disseminated Appendix E Project Budget Medical Like Me Mentorship Program Budget Item Cost Quantity Total Labor $ 1,169.55 Health Care Worker Professional Speaker (average/ hour) $ 30.00 8 people semester/ 8 Hours plus additional hour for preparation- 16 hours total $ 480.00  NC State Educator (Hourly rate): Varies: Average 25.00/hour $ 25.00 Approx. 3 hours per speaker invested- 75.00 per speaker x 8 speakers $ 600.00 Design     - Design for Posters/Brochures (per hour) $ 25.00 2 $ 50.00       - Printing/Supplies     - Minor Assent Forms (cost per sheet) $ 0.07 100 $ 7.00 Parental Consents Hard Copy (cost per sheet) $ 0.07 50 $ 8.47 Flyers (color printing/cost per sheet) $ 0.09 30 $ 13.50 2 Inch Binder (Hard Copy Consent Storage/ Hard copy survey) $ 5.29 2 $ 10.58 Internet     Google Storage (extra storage per month) $ 2.99 1 $ 20.97 Google Meeting vs Zoom Account (Prime access/month() $ 7.99 Per Month/ 12 Months $ 95.88         $ 4 $ 29.96 $ 20 $ 53.80 Gifts $ 1 $ 4.47  Thank You Cards  $ 5.00  1 box $ 5.00     TOTAL $ 1,169.55 Yes Increased Interest in Health Care Profession Increased Knowledge of Nursing Roles Consideration of Nursing As Career 72 86 70 No Increased Interest in Health Care Profession Increased Knowledge of Nursing Roles Consideration of Nursing As Career 5 2 30 Somewhat Increased Interest in Health Care Profession Increased Knowledge of Nursing Roles Consideration of Nursing As Career 23 12 Survey Questions Percentage of Responses image1.png image2.png