Second Career Alumni Mentoring Program (SCAMP)

Overview

The School of Nursing, in collaboration with the Alumni Society, has developed a Second Career Alumni Mentoring Program (SCAMP). The direct purpose of SCAMP is to provide Second Career nursing students the opportunity to work with alumni mentors who can help support and facilitate their entry into the nursing profession. Through coordinating increased communication between nurses of varying experience and different generations, the program aims to foster a community in which all individuals feel accepted and valued. Read the SCAMP welcome letter to prospective alumni mentors Dr. Bonnie Hagerty.
 

Who are Second Career students?

While the students enrolled in the competitive Second Career program are exceptional students with real-world work experience, mentors' experiences as nurses, their knowledge and involvement with professional nursing issues, and their understanding of career opportunities and advancement can influence these students' personal and professional development. Thus, the School of Nursing is seeking alumni who can commit to serving as a mentor for a Second Career student throughout the 16 months of their nursing program and potentially into the early months of their first position. Learn more about the Second Career program.

 

Help launch this new and important initiative!

Mentors are...

  • School of Nursing alumni with experience in the field
  • Individuals from all over the country
  • Positive about the field of nursing and its related components
  • Knowledgeable about nursing practice
  • Not the mentee’s supervisor or someone that evaluates that student
  • Able to make a commitment to the program for a minimum of 12-24 months.

Mentors act as...

  • Role models - the “go to” people for their mentees
  • Information sources - people knowledgeable and up-to-date about nursing and where to access information
  • Active listeners - individuals who engage their mentees while being open and maintaining confidentiality
  • Counselors - coaches who establish trust, provide tools, and foster success
  • Motivators - sources of support who give positive feedback, encourage hard work, and expect and respect changes
  • Career guides - advisors who support engagement in the professional world of nursing and returning for advanced degrees.

The benefits of involvement include...

  • Shaping the profession by sharing the wealth of knowledge gained through experience in nursing
  • Establishing mutually rewarding relationships for the future
  • Igniting the excitement for the profession of nursing by seeing it through a student’s eyes.

 

Get Involved

For more information and to apply to become a mentor, e-mail son-scamp@umich.edu or download the mentor application form and submit it electronically.
 
By the end of November, we plan to have matched students and mentors using information submitted in the applications. Therefore, we ask that all applications be submitted by November 15th of each calendar year.
 
Please note that because this is an evolving program, it will be under evaluation and revision by the School of Nursing over the next 18-24 months. So that we can continuously improve the program's quality, participants will be asked to complete brief surveys and interviews about their experiences.