Optimizing physician mentorship from selection to ‘sunset’
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Key takeaways:
- Mentors and mentees should set a clear understanding of expectations.
- They should discuss ideas for the short term, as well as look ahead to the next year and beyond.
SAN DIEGO — Sustaining a successful mentor-mentee relationship requires compatibility in terms of skillsets and goals, according to a speaker at ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition.
It also requires development of a career plan, as well as mutual willingness to commit the time necessary to ensure success.
During a special interest session, Betty S. Pace, MD, Francis J. Tedesco distinguished chair in pediatric hematology/oncology at Augusta University, discussed how to identify a potential mentor, how to make the most of a mentoring relationship, and how to eventually “sunset” the mentorship and move into a collegial relationship.
“Building a trusting relationship is essential, as is integrity and transparency,” Pace told Healio. “It’s also important for mentees to have a bit of a thick skin about taking constructive criticism. Perhaps most important of all is to have a feeling that your mentor truly has your best interest and your success in mind.”
Identifying a mentor
Pace discussed how an early career physician can identify a strong potential mentor for their individual career objectives. She advised mentees to look for someone who has significant experience in their area of interest or pursuit, but who also has the time to devote to mentorship.
“If the potential mentor is too junior, they may not have the experience needed, but sometimes the very senior people are so busy they won’t have the time to mentor,” Pace said. “It’s about finding someone who has the experience and the time.”
Looking at a physician’s track record as a mentor is a helpful way to determine whether they would be a good fit, Pace said. A strong mentoring candidate ideally would have a reputation for advising previous mentees well, and should have the ability and willingness to introduce their mentees to others in the field who can advance their careers.
“It’s also helpful to look at the success of their previous mentees,” Pace said.
Developing a mentoring team
In some cases, one mentor might not be able to singlehandedly address the multifaceted needs of a mentee, Pace said.
For this reason, some physicians opt to participate in “mentoring teams,” in which the mentee has more than one mentor for different aspects of their career goals.
“I like the concept of the mentoring team,” she said. “I advise young people to choose a research mentor, a career mentor and a peer mentor.”
The research mentor ideally would be an expert in the mentee’s area of scientific interest, and would help them move forward with the advancement of their research careers.
“This person would help them with grant writing, identifying the right funding sources and promoting them in the field,” she said.
The career mentor would be tasked with helping the mentee navigate career advancement within their institution. Although it is generally advisable that this mentor be based at the same institution, this is no longer necessary due to the ability to interact virtually, Pace said.
“This person would help them negotiate promotion and tenure, or discuss issues in their department that might be of concern,” she said.
The third component of the mentoring team — the peer mentor — would be someone at the same level as the mentee who can relate to shared challenges and concerns.
“They are likely going through many of the same issues,” Pace said. “Oftentimes, peers feel more comfortable confiding in one another than they do with a senior mentor. It provides a shoulder to cry on.”
Maintaining and optimizing mentorship
Once the mentoring relationship has been established, it is important to outline a plan for the career highlights the mentee wants to achieve, Pace said.
“The mentee and the mentorship team should discuss what the mentee wants to do over the short-term, and then what they want to achieve over the next 3 to 5 years,” she said.
Having formulated a plan, the mentor and mentee need to set an agenda and schedule for when they will meet, and commit to that schedule.
“I take it very seriously when I mentor, and that set aside time is on my calendar is high priority,”
Pace also expects her mentees to come to their meetings with an agenda. Because mentorship is devoted to nurturing the mentee’s career, the mentee should set the priorities to be addressed in each meeting,
“As the mentor, I need to give the mentee what they need, so I’m not leading the meeting,” she said. “However, if there are other topics I think we should discuss, it can be added on the agenda.”
The mentoring relationship is a substantial commitment, Pace said. She generally meets with mentees about once a month, with sessions in the beginning lasting about 90 minutes.
“It’s definitely a commitment to get that person on track,” she said. “Then we start to back up when the person is a bit more independent.”
Often at about 2 or 3 years, Pace said she begins to discuss scaling back and eventually “sunsetting” the mentorship.
“It’s important that everyone have a clear understanding of the expectations,” she said. “I tell mentees that they’re doing well now, and that I’m still available. We’re just moving from a junior-senior relationship to becoming long-term friends and colleagues.”
Pace still regularly hears from prior mentees, including high school students and undergraduate students who email her about their accomplishments. For example, at ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition, my first PhD student — who graduated in 2000 — reached out and we had coffee and took pictures!
“One or two of my past mentees have become longtime collaborators,” she said. “In that way, I’m still contributing to their success and career — but now we’re working together as colleagues.”
Reference:
- Pace B. Identifying a mentor and optimizing the mentor/mentee relationship: How to be a good mentor. Presented at: ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition; Dec. 7-10, 2024; San Diego.
For more information:
Betty S. Pace, MD, can be reached at bpace@augusta.edu.
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