Getting Started – A Primer for Departments, Divisions, Mentors and Mentees
Now that we've gone over some of the basics involved in being a mentor and seeking one, this section will discuss the importance of department/division"buy-in." Even the most dedicated mentors and eager mentees will find themselves struggling without the explicit support of their departments and divisions. With the publication of this handbook, a recent school-wide survey assessing career development, promotion and tenure planning seminars, and other educational activities
addressing mentoring, the School of Medicine has demonstrated its strong support of mentoring. Now the individual departments need to do the same. There are
several ways to go about the process.
The Self-Directed Approach: this method involves the initiative of either
the mentor or the mentee. As a mentor, you would observe junior
faculty members, noting their areas of interest that match
your own and offering your services as a mentor. For a mentee,
the reverse occurs: you research the senior faculty, get to
know them and select someone whom you admire and see as a
role model and guide.
The Departmental/Division Approach: this method involves
the support and active participation of department and division
chairs as well as all faculty within those units. A formal
mentoring program would have assigned mentor/mentee pairs.23
Often the division chair takes the responsibility to mentor
or to assign mentors within the division. We believe that
allowing choice will ultimately make for a better relationship.
Assigned pairs might address the professional needs of the
mentee, but remember, the relationship goes beyond the professional.
Bottom line? The two need to like each other for the relationship to be successful. This is where free choice makes the difference.
Regardless of the approach to mentoring relationships, departments and divisions may want to consider having a senior "outside" person (meaning a person who is neither mentor, nor mentee) to serve as a "third eye" of sorts. This individual should be in a senior position and able to objectively view the proposed mentor/mentee pairings. He or she may see potential difficulties within relationships that neither mentor nor mentee envisions. Also, this "third eye" may see matches between
junior and senior faculty where no one else has.
Support of mentoring relationships from department/division chairs is crucial. Mentoring a junior faculty member is a time-consuming process and needs to be recognized as an official part of a senior faculty member's duties. He or she must receive the necessary support from the department, division and institution or the mentoring relationship may crumble under the weight of other departmental demands. This involves allowing the time required to function as a mentor. As a senior professional, an individual has obviously proven that he or she can research, publish and obtain funding. Department and division chairs can be most helpful at this point in the mentoring process by ensuring that senior staff are encouraged to become mentors and allowed the time to pursue the relationship.
Role of departments and divisions:
- Facilitate and encourage such relationships.
- Hold mentors and mentees accountable for their roles.
- Reward mentors.
- Make financial investments in mentees by setting aside funds for their career development (e.g., national conferences and meetings, continuing education and career development programs).
For departments and divisions interested in launching mentoring relationships,
a needs assessment might be helpful. A suggested needs assessment
form may be found in Appendix A.
Mentors, mentees, divisions and departments may wish to use
these forms as guides or develop their own ways to assess
needs and progress.
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"... the department is the seat
of change, with the department head the
key." 43,47
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One excellent example of departmental efforts to foster mentoring may be found
in the Department of Internal Medicine on the MCV Campus. This
department is the largest in the medical school, consisting
of some 175 faculty members. In May of 2001, Department Chair,
Dr. Richard Wenzel, developed and distributed a mentoring survey
to all assistant professors "in the interest of assessing
the quality and accessibility of mentoring in the department."
This ten-question survey asks first if the respondent has a
mentor, and then continues with questions concerning the mentoring
relationship (e.g., quantity of meeting time, grant and scholarly
work review, assistance with career development). The full survey
may be found in Appendix B. On
the basis of this survey, a mentoring program is now in place
within the Department of Internal Medicine. A cornerstone of
the mentoring program requires that each division chair within
the department arrange a mentor for every junior faculty member
in the division. This pilot project has been shared with all
School of Medicine department chairs as a possible sample for
their own mentoring programs. Another way of actively encouraging
mentoring within the department occurs by including a question
about mentoring in the department promotion and tenure evaluations.
In addition to providing a biosketch and academic preparation
statement, the department's faculty members are expected to
list specific mentoring activities undertaken during the review
year.
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