Running head: Clark Journal #2 SDAD 565/566

Dana Clark SDAD 565 & 566 Journal Entry # 2 (Supervision)

Clark Journal #2 SDAD 565/566 My work for the Alumni-Student Mentorship Program this summer has, so far, greatly consisted of assessment and evaluation which is going rather slowly! I was eager and excited to develop surveys that would serve as the foundation of our assessment and couldnt wait to hear the responses of our students. I was a bit disappointed to learn our response rate was rather lowonly receiving 13 responses out of 45 people. This was my first challenge in regards to the learning outcome of assessment, evaluation and research.

The supervision of my site supervisor, direct supervisor and colleagues play a part in this scenario due to the limited amount of feedback I receive from them. Being that this project has been something I have developed on my own, quite autonomously, I have been offered little feedback thus far. This does make it hard to even evaluate the responses we did receive because I am using my own leadership and ideas in how to move forward. My site supervisor, Kelly, has been such a great resource for me, offering great insights but taking a step back by asking inquisitive questions that challenge why I do things. The problem is we both are reporting to the same person about this program, of which we are receiving little feedback from. In a way, the freedom allows for creativity and openness but I want to ensure the purpose of this program within the College of Nursing is being fulfilled. In turn, the lack of feedback from my supervisors on the programs progress has actually encouraged me to be more proactive in receiving data so I can use raw data to lead me in the right direction. Ive realized that input from administrators in the college will certainly be beneficial for the program, but ultimately, we want to hear from the student mentors and mentees to learn what it is exactly they need. This research has provided me with a lot of support to continue in a direction to move the program toward greater effectivenessthat is the purpose of a student based program, right?!

Clark Journal #2 SDAD 565/566

Additionally, the lack of overall supervision has led me to strengthen my skills to initiate this contact and work with higher administrators to support my efforts. With that, the foundation of research I am conducting helps me to provide clear reasoning behind my motives for this program and I feel more confident explaining these efforts with this supportive basis. After my last meeting with Kelly, we decided it was important to inform the College of Nursing administrators (the e-team) of our research findings and future plans for the Mentorship Program. We were in agreement that they should be aware of how we are progressing and also should support this growth. We will present the program at the end of August and I am eager to do so, though am worried of the feedback we will receive. Not that the feedback will be negative but that we will be overwhelmed with suggestions for the program that just dont parallel with the needs of the program. That is why I am relying so heavily on the research I have conducted to show why we ar emoving in a certain direction, especially if they disagree. For example, we will not include junior nursing students in this program next year because we found that these mentees very rarely contacted their mentor and had limited involvement in the program. We think the reasoning behind this is because, while they would like to be proactive in focusing on their transition in the nursing profession in the next year and a half, nursing students schedules are too intensive to provide that additional time, especially during their junior year. I have a feeling the Associate Deans may not be happy that we will be excluding juniors from the program but after hearing the actual results of the survey around this question, they may be more apt to understand our basis. So, ultimately, I am able to use research/assessment to move this program forward. I had to ask myself, really what is the purpose of this program in order to move ahead in a particular

Clark Journal #2 SDAD 565/566 direction. This is my first time having the opportunity to start a program from scratch and I assume this is a normal situation to come across. We want to ensure this program is purposeful

and effective, so with limited supervision and direction, the research is helping to point us (Kelly an I) in the right direction.