Oncology Nurse Mentorship Program

Overview

The Oncology Nurse Mentorship Program (ONMP) was developed by the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute to increase the number of minority youth interested in pursuing nursing careers with the specialty area of oncology.  

Each year, minority students that are sophomores or juniors from Detroit Public and Charter High Schools are invited to apply to the program.  Based upon the quality of the essay and the successful completion of the program application packet, 6 students are selected as “Mentees” to participate in this increasingly competitive program.

The Program

The ONMP provides the “Mentees” with a 6-week, 4-day-per-week introduction to oncology nursing.  This introduction provides exposure to all aspects of oncology nursing through visits to areas of the hospital, job shadowing and presentations by oncology nurses.  The Mentees learn about the history of nursing, basic cancer information, and are taught basic nursing skills.   

Each Mentee is assigned a mentor to meet with on a regular basis to learn about oncology nursing from more personal exposure.  After the program is over, the Mentor and Mentee are able to stay in contact, if they desire.  

During the program, area colleges and universities present their admission policies, financial aid and other resources.

At the end of 6-weeks, Mentees invite their Mentor, family and friends to the closing program to view their final project and hear about some of the experiences of the Mentees.

As an added bonus, each Mentee receives a bi-weekly stipend and a lunch voucher each day for l in the cafeteria.     

All paperwork for this program is available in the Compact Office Room C126.