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Twelve tips

Twelve tips for developing effective mentors

, MD MPH DipMedEd, &
Pages 404-408 | Published online: 03 Jul 2009
 

Abstract

Mentoring is often identified as a crucial step in achieving career success. However, not all medical trainees or educators recognize the value of a mentoring relationship. Since medical educators rarely receive training on the mentoring process, they are often ill equipped to face challenges when taking on major mentoring responsibilities. This article is based on half-day workshops presented at the 11th Ottawa International Conference on Medical Education in Barcelona on 5 July 2004 and the annual meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges in Boston on 10 November 2004 as well as a review of literature. Thirteen medical faculty participated in the former and 30 in the latter. Most participants held leadership positions at their institutions and mentored trainees as well as supervised mentoring programs. The workshops reviewed skills of mentoring and strategies for designing effective mentoring programs. Participants engaged in brainstorming and interactive discussions to: (a) review different types of mentoring programs; (b) discuss measures of success and failure of mentoring relationships and programs; and (c) examine the influence of gender and cultural differences on mentoring. Participants were also asked to develop an implementation plan for a mentoring program for medical students and faculty. They had to identify student and faculty mentoring needs, and describe methods to recruit mentors as well as institutional reward systems to encourage and support mentoring.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Subha Ramani

SUBHA RAMANI, MD MPH MMedEd, is a general internist and medical educator at the Boston University School of Medicine and its affiliated Boston Medical Center. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of Faculty Development in Clinical Teaching for the Department of Medicine. She also directs a clinical skills curriculum for Internal Medicine residents. Her chief areas of interest in medical education are staff development in teaching and clinical skills education.

Larry Gruppen

LARRY GRUPPEN, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Medical Education at the University of Michigan Medical School. He is a cognitive psychologist whose areas of research interest include the fundamental aspects of clinical reasoning, the evolution and assessment of medical expertise, performance assessment, and educational leadership development.

Elizabeth Krajic Kachur

ELIZABETH KRAJIC KACHUR, PhD, is a medical education consultant with 22 years of experience throughout the continuum of medical education. She is located in New York City but also works nationally and internationally. Her experience with mentoring schemes ranges from program and mentor development to project evaluation.

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