Mentoring Best Practices for Medical Professionals

Anyone who has enjoyed the experience of being coached by a sympathetic and knowledgeable mentor knows how special the mentor–mentee relationship is and that, when it works well, it is highly beneficial to both parties. There are many powerful reasons to become a mentor.

The main attraction is, of course, helping others just starting out in their careers to excel. Sharing the knowledge you have picked up during your own path can give meaning to your own career trajectory, your self-worth, and the value you derive from your job. The mentoring relationship also has an important role to play in mitigating the causes and effects of physician burnout for both parties.

Mentoring holds a special attraction for women and minorities who have advanced in their own careers because they can help promote greater diversity in the medical field by helping young people overcome the challenges they faced themselves.

A good mentor–mentee relationship also provides a valuable opportunity for reverse mentoring—helping the more experienced physician stay in touch with current thinking and language, discussing new trends in technologies and processes, and building and maintaining relationships with younger generations entering the profession.

Qualities of a Good Mentor

Physicians who have risen to the top of their institution or area of clinical expertise will undoubtedly attract a fair number of younger interns and physicians who would like to be mentored. There is no guarantee, however, that the physician will make a good mentor.

The characteristics of a physician play a more significant role in determining the success of a mentor–mentee relationship than the reputation of the mentor.

Having an open mind and a willingness to help others succeed are essential characteristics for any mentor. The ability to build a good rapport with students and junior members of staff is also important.

Time management can also be critical; mentors need to be available to their mentee. It can work well if both parties are able to make regular times to meet, listen, and talk through their concerns away from the workplace. It is ideal if you can make this a regular occasion—for example, lunch on the first Friday of every month. While making the time might seem like a challenge in an already over-stretched schedule, the benefits that mentoring offers make finding time well worth the effort.

Mentoring and Diversity

The mentor relationship offers more than straightforward technical, clinical, and career advice. Mentors have an important role to play in offering emotional support and guidance.

This is certainly true when race and gender come into play. Mentoring has an important role to play in promoting diversity in medicine.

Physicians have to cope with many stressors. Learning to face down racism and/or sexism on top of the other challenges of the job can exacerbate feelings of physician burnout. The support and guidance of a senior staff member who understands these additional challenges can be critical for young medical students.

Corporate civility coach Sue Jacques suggests that mentors should prepare themselves by creating a guiding set of principles that summarize how you will treat others and how you expect to be treated yourself. She says pre-determining these standards will help you deal with awkward experiences with grace.

Tips for Mentoring Success

Being a mentor requires you to exemplify model behavior and make good choices. Showing leadership and acting as a role model at all times is part of a senior physician’s lot. Emotional capacity is also important to the success of the mentoring relationship. A study by Dunn and colleagues identifies self-disclosure as an important attribute within the relationship.

Perhaps the most important tip for a successful mentoring relationship is to talk about both parties’ expectations of the mentoring relationship from the start. Don’t overcommit or set unrealistic expectations; be open about what you both are able to commit to.

A mentor’s role is to encourage self-empowerment. Depending on which stage a mentee is in in their career, the mentor may have a huge potential impact on the development and trajectory of the mentee’s career plans. The mentor’s job is never to direct but to listen, share their experiences, talk through the options, and suggest possibilities, never forgetting that ultimately the mentee has to be responsible for their own career.

Finding a Mentee

Senior physicians at the top of their fields may find themselves approached to be a mentor quite regularly. In these instances, the key to determining who to mentor is to look for those students with whom you have a natural rapport and will be able to create value through your relationship. Some teaching facilities have a program to match interns with senior physicians, so the decision is removed from the physicians’ hands.

If neither of these circumstances apply, consider using a database matching service that puts would-be mentors and mentees in touch with each other. The American College of Physicians’ Mentoring Database is a good place to start. The American Medical Women’s Association also operates a mentoring database.

If you don’t have time to commit for an extended period, you may wish to consider reaching out to younger generations before they make the educational choices that will help them pursue a career in medicine. The Doctors Back to School and Mentoring in Medicine programs reach out to kids, particularly Black and ethnic minority school-aged kids, to help inform them about careers in medicine and encourage much-needed diversity in the profession.