title: Introducing a buddying scheme for first year pre-registration students.
abstract: Student buddying schemes have been found to be helpful for a variety of different university students. This article describes a scheme where first year pre-registration child nursing students are buddied with second-year students, which was first initiated in the academic year 2012/2013. The first year students were aware that peer support was available but contact was only maintained by a minority of students. At present it is uncertain what impact the scheme has had on attrition figures, particularly in the first year. Initial evaluation indicates that students found the scheme helpful and would like it to continue to be available to first-year students.
authors.affiliation: Senior Lecturer in Children's Nursing, University of Hertfordshire.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Campbell
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D013338:Students, Nursing; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Buddying; Contact; Nursing education; Peer support; Stress reduction; Student attrition