Establishing an Evidence-Based Peer Tutor Training Program

Nursing school attrition rates have a significant impact on health care, which is currently facing a critical nursing shortage. Attrition rates hinder students' academic goals and contribute to the shortage of graduates eligible for licensure. Many aspects impact nursing program completion. Factors that affect student success at a small, Midwest, private, prelicensure baccalaureate program include recent decreases in applicants, lower grade point averages in prerequisite courses, and increased mental health and accommodation needs. The first-semester attrition rates are a significant concern, increasing from 18%, to 22%, to 35% in the most recent semester.

Berlin et al. (²⁰²⁴) suggest that the United States needs to more than double the number of new graduates entering the nursing workforce annually for 3 years to meet the demand. Without changes to current care delivery models, a gap of 200,000 to 450,000 nurses nationwide was expected in 2025 (^{Berlin et al., 2024}). Considering retirement and workforce exits, employment projections indicate a need for 193,100 openings for registered nurses in the United States annually through 2032 (^{American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2024}). Student success strategies that address attrition in nursing schools are essential to combating the nursing shortage.

According to the literature, peer tutoring positively impacts many variables as a proactive student success strategy, including academic performance (^{Choi et al., 2021}; ^{Hawkins et al., 2022}), confidence (^{Hawkins et al., 2022}; ^{Şengül et al., 2022}), anxiety and stress (^{McKenna & French, 2011}; ^{Şengül et al., 2022}), relationship building (^{Şengül et al., 2022}; ^{Smith & Bultas, 2020}), retention, and study skills (^{Kim et al., 2021}). However, peer tutoring has a more significant impact when preceded by peer tutor training (^{Choi et al., 2021}; ^{Hawkins et al., 2022}; ^{Smith & Bultas, 2020}).

While the literature did not describe explicit, structured peer tutor training programs, it frequently mentioned topics of practical peer tutor training. These topics included communication and feedback skills (^{Davis & Richardson, 2017}; ^{Şengül et al., 2022}), facilitating group tutoring (^{Davis & Richardson, 2017}; ^{Kramer et al., 2018}), teaching and learning principles (^{Hawkins et al., 2022}; ^{Kim et al., 2021}