Does Faculty Student Mentoring Improve Program Performance and Mediate Stress for First-Year Dental Hygiene Students?

Abstract

Dental hygiene education requires students to connect classroom learning with patient care very early in the scholastic process. This challenge can be a considerable source of stress for first-year students who are disproportionately, compared to second year students, at-risk for dropping out. In student surveys, first-year dental hygiene students routinely highlight a need for an improved support system when navigating through their degree programs. Although scholars have theorized that faculty-student mentoring may provide critical support for students in health care programs, little empirical research has tested these relationships. A quantitative method was utilized, surveying 472 first-year dental hygiene students during their first year of the program to gain a better understanding of the faculty-student mentoring programs and the role they play in supporting student stress, clinical competence and academic improvement. A pilot tested survey was administered to students after the completion of the first semester of their dental hygiene education but before the termination of the second semester. Results from this study provide evidence regarding factors associated with the effects of the mentoring on program success for the first-year dental hygiene students. This study will add to the body of knowledge that dental hygiene academic programs may reference when investigating the possible benefits of faculty-student mentoring.