The NURSE Center: A peer mentor-tutor project for disadvantaged nursing students in Appalachia.

To assist disadvantaged Appalachian nursing students, a grant-supported peer mentor-tutor project was initiated in a regional university. Located in the NURSE Center (Nursing Undergraduate Resource for Successful Education), the goals of the project were to improve participants' academic achievement, increase retention, encourage timely academic progression, and improve NCLEX-RN passing rates. The authors describe the project, the first year of operation, and future directions.