Mentorship is a key practice in promoting and maintaining fulfilment in medical practice [1]. It is a relationship where a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps guide a less experienced colleague, facilitating their development. In healthcare, this relationship is often between a senior colleague and a trainee.

In this article, we’ll explore how being a mentor is not only good for your junior staff, it can also be good for you.

Why is Mentorship Important?

Medical professionals who find fulfilment in their chosen specialisation, particularly those who assume leadership positions, often acknowledge the significant support they received from mentors and other sources. Commonly, these tales of success share an important element: the presence of a role model or mentor, whose invaluable guidance played a crucial role in their development [1].

Mentorship provides guidance, knowledge, and support to those learning the craft. It can help set professional goals, define a career trajectory, and overcome barriers by adopting successful strategies [1].

In a time where networking and seeking advice online have become effortlessly accessible in nearly all aspects of life, the concept of the conventional mentor-mentee relationship among physicians, conducted through a sequence of routine formal face-to-face gatherings and occasional phone discussions, may appear charmingly outdated. But it shouldn’t, and such relationships might be more important now than in the past because the in-touch-and-constantly-connected online environment doesn’t necessarily foster or sustain the deep, candid exchanges that characterise good mentor-mentee interactions [1].

Benefits of Mentorship in Healthcare

Mentorship in healthcare has numerous benefits for both the mentor and the mentee. It enhances collegial relationships and friendships, improves work performance, expands professional networks, improves engagement and productivity, reduces burnout, and promotes learning opportunities, knowledge, and collaboration [1][6][7][8].

Mentors can provide guidance, advice, the opportunity to vent emotions, seek help, and feel valued, comforted, and supported [8]. Active listening and a few kind comforting words can go a long way [8].

Mentorship can also address the “‘hidden curriculum’ of professionalism, ethics, values, and the art of medicine” that cannot be learnt from textbooks [8]. In many cases, mentors influence our subconscious thinking, may influence our behaviour through role-modelling (e.g., how we speak and relate to patients), and also provide comfort, reassurance, emotional support, and encouragement.

But the benefits of mentorship are not restricted to the mentee. Mentors report improved career satisfaction, particularly in the later stages of their career, and the ability to reflect on their own practice increases. The value placed on the role of the mentor is reflected in the ability to claim credits for mentorship in many CPD Home programs.

Does Mentorship help?

High quality studies exist only in specific pockets of healthcare, however it appears likely that mentorship plays a crucial role in professional development of mentees.

A study on video-based coaching for continuous professional development found that this educational modality assisted intraoperative judgment, technique, and teaching. Surgeons of all levels found it highly instructive [2].

One study found that mentorship played a crucial role in raising awareness of patient safety and clinical governance principles and processes in the primary healthcare setting [3]. Another study found that mentorship programs have been used to successfully recruit and retain rural nurses [4].

What seems clear is that the path through a healthcare career has many twists and turns, bumps and pot-holes, and the calm, reassuring hand of a mentor can help to guide us.

How to be a Better Mentor

Being a good mentor is a lot like being a good doctor. Just as clinicians have an ethical duty to act in the best interest of their patients, mentors have a similar duty towards their mentees [9]. Here are some guiding principles to follow to be a better mentor [9]:

1. Be available: People in healthcare — good mentors included — are busy. Being attentive to a mentee in the midst of these engagements is challenging. However, with determination, solutions can be found. Find alternatives to the face-to-face meeting - a brief after-hours call, text message, or email can help your mentee stay on track and prevent you from being the rate-limiting step in their productivity.

2. Be fully present. Being a mindful mentor means demonstrating to your mentee that for the next X minutes, they are all that matters.

3. Know your role: Ask yourself, “What role does my mentee need me to play?” Your relationship need not only take the form of a traditional and general mentoring role involving a seasoned expert who provides guidance and wisdom to a junior person. It could be more specific, such as a coach who helps a mentee improve a particular skill, a sponsor who opens doors, or a connector who introduces the mentee to others in your network [9].

4. Be objective: Just as clinicians work to prevent emotions in the moment from getting in the way of patient care, mindful mentors resist allowing emotions to influence their real-time interactions with mentees [9].

5. Walk in their shoes: By doing so, you can better provide wisdom and advice that is relevant to the mentee [9].

6. Set expectations : Establishing clear expectations from the beginning regarding the responsibilities and timelines for both the mentor and mentee, as well as identifying their respective objectives for the meetings, is crucial. [1].

Challenges of Mentorship in Healthcare

Although mentorship offers various advantages, it can present challenges of its own. Issues within mentorship can arise when mentors and mentees are compelled into a relationship that lacks natural development. Gender and cultural disparities, conflicts of interest, divergent personal values, power differentials, or impractical expectations for both the mentee and mentor can contribute to these problems [8].

Research suggests failed mentoring relationships are characterised by poor communication, lack of commitment, personality differences, perceived (or real) competition, and the mentor’s lack of experience [8].

How to Sustain a Mentorship Relationship

A fundamental requirement for a fruitful mentor-mentee relationship is an unwavering dedication to openness. Even in the most structured mentor-mentee dynamic, a certain level of personal connection must be fostered for it to thrive. Both individuals must invest in the relationship and prioritise honesty in order for it to yield meaningful benefits [1].

Conclusion

Mentorship is a vital aspect of healthcare, providing numerous benefits for both mentors and mentees. It plays a crucial role in CPD, enhancing collegial relationships, improving work performance, and promoting learning opportunities. However, it also comes with its own set of challenges, such as conflicts of interest and unrealistic expectations. By developing the necessary skills and following guiding principles, healthcare professionals can become effective mentors and contribute to the growth and development of their mentees.

Footnote : The first documented use of mentoring in healthcare is attributed to Sir William Osler, who was the mentor of another medical legend, Harvey Cushing [14].