Impact of a first-year peer mentoring program for new nursing faculty

• Effective peer mentoring of novice faculty can improve retention and role adjustment. • The Novice Faculty Confidence Scale can measure the outcomes of peer mentoring programs. • The Novice Faculty Confidence Scale can be used to design peer mentoring programs. The nurse faculty shortage has led to thousands of qualified applicants being turned away from nursing programs, exacerbating the nursing shortage in the United States effective mentoring has been shown to enhance faculty recruitment, retention, and development. This study evaluates the impact of a first-year peer mentoring program on the confidence and development of new nursing faculty, focusing on retention, professional support, and networking. A pre- and post-test design using the Novice Faculty Confidence Scale (NFCS) assessed the program's effectiveness. Paired t-tests identified statistically significant changes in faculty confidence across the survey items. Statistically significant improvements were noted in 20 of the 25 sub-competencies within the NFCS domains. New faculty reported moderate to significant impacts on all 25 subcompetencies due to peer mentoring. The peer mentoring program increased new faculty confidence, provided support, and promoted networking. Such interventions may help address the nursing faculty shortage and enhance the training of future nursing professionals.