The Benefits of the Chamberlain Alumni Mentoring Program

Mentors help guide students through nursing school and prepare for their careers.

At Chamberlain University, you have the advantage of learning from faculty with exceptional healthcare experience. And as you earn a nursing degree, you get the added benefit of being paired with a mentor who works in your career field — and has earned a Chamberlain degree, too.

The Alumni Mentoring Program, launched in 2021, is available to students in all nursing and healthcare degree programs and can offer long-lasting benefits.

“Our overall mission is to foster a community where alumni can share their professional and personal expertise to help support current students through their educational journey and also through navigating their careers,” says Katharine Thomasson, vice president of alumni engagement. “It’s very important that within that circle of support you have someone that’s cheerleading you on … someone who’s actually been through that journey and experienced those same things themselves.”

Another benefit of the alumni mentoring program is that it’s a “two-way street,” says Kim Brandt, Chamberlain’s director of student affairs. “There’s a really crucial role that both teams can play and help each other.”

Key Benefits of Alumni Mentoring

Professional development is an important piece of the mentorship program, Brandt says. She shared five key benefits to mentees and mentors:

1. Providing Constructive Feedback

“As you develop these relationships and you're partnering together, the mentor can provide the mentee with constructive feedback and help them with different strengths and weaknesses. They can also identify if there are any areas for improvement and offer suggestions for how to develop those skills and advance your career. They’re also providing feedback that can help that mentor with their own leadership development.”

2. Sharing Knowledge and Experience

“When you're looking at the sharing of knowledge and experience, a mentor can provide valuable insights into the industry that they’re working in. They can also share their experiences to help the mentee gain a better understanding of what it takes to succeed,” she says. “The mentee can provide the mentor with insight on their experience as well. The mentee’s experiences as an entry-level nurse can also be very valuable for that mentor to identify and see the differences from when they went through that same experience.”

3. Offering Guidance and Support

“There’s also the ability to offer guidance and support. So, from the mentor perspective, they can provide information on their career journey. They can offer advice on everything from networking to negotiating job offers. Mentees can also offer their mentors guidance and support as they’re looking at different steps and challenges in their own careers, and provide that different, fresh perspective.”

4. Challenging Growth

“Both the mentor and the mentee can challenge each other to grow. They can give themselves opportunities to work outside of their comfort zones, pushing each other to achieve new goals along the way.”

5. Providing Access to Professional Networks

“We also want to make sure that the mentor and the mentee have the ability to provide each other with access to information about their own professional networks. Because a mentor might have more experience and connections, they can help their mentee connect with new individuals,” she says. “And the mentee might also have some of their own experiences from positions they might have held, or previous education that they’ve had, and be able to look at their own network and share that information.”

Take the Next Step In Your Nursing Career

You can reap the benefits of the Alumni Mentoring Program by earning one of Chamberlain’s nursing degrees. Choose from a wide range of nursing programs, formats and completion options.

If you’re ready to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), you can enroll in a program at one of our more than 20 campus locations. Or choose the BSN Online, a hybrid learning model that combines online coursework with on-site clinical experience.

At the master’s level, Chamberlain offers a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program with multiple specialty track options. They include three nurse practitioner tracks: Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

In any nursing degree program you choose, you’ll enjoy comprehensive student support — including the Alumni Mentoring Program and the benefits it brings.

“The value of a mentor in your life is immeasurable,” says Aisha Barnes, senior manager of alumni relations. “So, make sure you take part in this, and I will guarantee that it will help and benefit your educational journey through Chamberlain.”

Chamberlain University, an accredited institution, offers bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and certificate programs in nursing and healthcare professions. With a growing network of campuses and robust online programs, Chamberlain continues to build on more than 130 years of excellence in preparing extraordinary healthcare professionals.

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at Chamberlain University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, www.ccneaccreditation.org.

Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

By Chamberlain University