Benefits Of Mentoring Research Articles

National survey of mentorship in Canadian general surgery residency programs: Where are we and what do we need?

The benefits of mentorship on residents are well established. The current state of mentorship in General Surgery (GS) residency programs in Canada is unknown. The objectives of this study were to obtain GS residents' and program directors' (PD) perspectives on resident mentorship. An electronic survey was developed and distributed to all 601 GS residents in Canada. All 17 PDs were invited for telephone interviews. A total of 179 of the 601 residents responded. Ninety-seven percent (n=173) felt mentorship was important. Only 67% (n=116) identified a mentor and only 53% (n=62) reported a mentorship program. Most who identified a mentor (n=87/110, 79%) were satisfied with the mentorship received. Significant variations in mentorship existed between demographic subgroups and mentorship program types. Overall, residents (n=121, 74%) favoured having a required mentorship program.A total of 11 out of 17 PDs participated in the telephone interviews. The majority of PDs (n=9, 82%) were satisfied with current resident mentorship but most acknowledged that barriers exist (n=8, 73%). GS programs in Canada should ensure they are providing equal opportunities for mentorship across demographic subgroups. Programs are encouraged to examine both their program's and their residents' needs as well as local barriers to improve mentorship.

Examining the value of mentoring and men of color staff members of a community college

As higher education continues to experience a shift in demographics commiserate with the United States population, colleges and universities are making more concerted efforts to recruit men of color as staff, administrators, and faculty to reflect their diversified student bodies. One way to retain men of color staff members is to provide mentoring programs. While there are authors who are examining the benefits of mentoring, there has been little research into how men of color staff members of community college experience mentoring as a mentee and as a mentor. In this study we sought to understand how do men of color experience mentoring, both as mentor to undergraduate men of color and as staff mentees at a community college. The findings of our study include three common themes: investments made by mentors, investing in mentees, and support from administration.

How do mentoring rewards influence experienced auditors?

The benefits of mentoring are well documented, and include lower employee turnover, heightened employee success, and higher employee satisfaction. In an effort to acquire these benefits, audit firms are structuring rewards for mentoring. However, we predict that rewarding mentors can prove problematic, leaving needy young auditors without a mentor or perhaps receiving advice that might prove detrimental. We test our expectations in an experiment with 111 Big 4 auditor participants. As expected, we find that in the presence of mentoring rewards, experienced auditors are less willing to mentor the young auditors who likely would benefit the most. We also find that in the presence of mentoring rewards, experienced auditors are more likely to provide advice that might be counterproductive. Yet interestingly, in our study, when rewards are absent, experienced auditors are more willing to mentor and more likely to provide beneficial advice. Our results inform the audit mentoring literature though our focus on mentor behavior, as opposed to protégé behavior. Our results also have implications for audit firms as they consider the structure of mentoring rewards, training on mentoring advice, and the effects of this advice.

The developmental experiences of basketball mentor coaches

Numerous studies have examined the developmental activities of expert coaches. However, empirical studies on the development of mentor coaches in sport are scarce, despite literature reporting benefits of coach mentoring. The purpose of the present study was to examine the developmental experiences of mentor coaches who were involved in a structured mentoring program embedded in a level-one basketball coach education program. Four mentor coaches (one female) who met the selection criteria participated in structured retrospective interviews. Quantitative data such as mentor coaches’ demographic, athletics and coaching experiences were analyzed to calculate the means, standard deviation, and frequency of mentor coaches’ profile. Results were partially consistent with literature on expert coaches where mentor coaches (1) were competitive athletes, (2) held leadership positions as athletes, and (3) had accumulated at least 10 years of coaching experience and were successful coaches at the developmental level and beyond. Qualitative data were content analyzed using the narrative method to examine how mentor coaches learned their craft. Results show that (1) past coaches greatly influenced the development of mentor coaches’ mentoring knowledge, especially in the early stage of their coaching career, (2) exposure to different levels of mentoring appears to be useful in preparing them for eventual mentoring roles, and (3) self-directed learning helped mentor coaches to enhance their mentoring knowledge. The results are discussed in relation to literature on coach learning and development. Practical applications of the findings are also proposed.

Mentoring Females and Minorities into Higher Education

Whether we see through the lens of gender or ethnicity, the perception of self defines our work. The lossof women and people of color from tenure earning positions in higher education argues for moreproductive initiatives if we are to attract, retain, and promote female and minority faculty (Howard-Vital& Morgan, 1993). The literature overwhelmingly supports the benefits of mentoring in easing theloneliness and confusion that can derail women and people of color in higher education (Howard-Vital &Morgan).

Institutional Incentives for Mentoring at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Universities: Associations With Mentors' Perceptions and Time Spent Mentoring.

Limited empirical attention to date has focused on best practices in advanced research mentoring in the health services research domain. The authors investigated whether institutional incentives for mentoring (e.g., consideration of mentoring in promotion criteria) were associated with mentors' perceptions of mentoring benefits and costs and with time spent mentoring. The authors conducted an online survey in 2014 of a national sample of mentors of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Services Research and Development Service (HSR&D) mentored career development award recipients who received an award during 2000-2012. Regression analyses were used to examine institutional incentives as predictors of perceptions of benefits and costs of mentoring and time spent mentoring. Of the 145 mentors invited, 119 (82%) responded and 110 (76%) provided complete data for the study items. Overall, mentors who reported more institutional incentives also reported greater perceived benefits of mentoring (P = .03); however, more incentives were not significantly associated with perceived costs of mentoring. Mentors who reported more institutional incentives also reported spending a greater percentage of time mentoring (P = .02). University incentives were associated with perceived benefits of mentoring (P = .02), whereas VA incentives were associated with time spent mentoring (P = .003). Institutional policies that promote and support mentorship of junior investigators, specifically by recognizing and rewarding the efforts of mentors, are integral to fostering mentorship programs that contribute to the development of early-career health services researchers into independent investigators.

Psychological Well-Being: Using Self-determination Theory to Examine the Reciprocal Benefits of Mentoring and Teaching Others

Psychological Well-Being: Using Self-determination Theory to Examine the Reciprocal Benefits of Mentoring and Teaching Others

Building Our Future by Mentoring One Another (FR433)

•Identify the multiple areas in which mentoring can play a role in the development of hospice and palliative medicine.•Differentiate among the roles that mentors, sponsors and coaches can play in professional, team and program development.•Describe how individuals can access mentors and the mutual benefits that mentors and mentees can derive from a mentor-mentee relationship. The field of palliative care is taking traction in mainstream medicine, with a growing role to play in patient care. Critical to narrowing the widening gap between workforce shortage and projected demand for hospice and palliative medicine providers is expanded access to and engagement in education and training. There are many challenges to meeting the educational needs of learners, including the diversity of professional backgrounds and experience of those involved, relative youth of the field, multiplicity of career paths prior to engaging in hospice and palliative medicine, varied care settings and population needs, function as an effective team member, cultural differences and the intricacies of teaching the human dimension of care. Despite the broad range and variation of these challenges, they all relate to individuals—those who led the way, those currently at the forefront and the myriad doing our daily work. In this interactive session, we will take a broad look at the role of mentoring in the development of our field. The panelists, two medical oncologists, a geriatrician and a psychiatrist, all experienced palliative care clinicians, will start with a discussion of the different roles that mentors, coaches and sponsors play in professional, team and program development. Panelists, who combined have a broad mentorship experience in clinical care, program development, research, public policy and resiliency, will offer their perspectives on what makes a good mentor-mentee relationship, mutual benefits of mentoring for the mentor and mentee and how to “get the most” from your relationship. There will be ample time for discussion among session participants and panel members. By the end of the session, it is anticipated that participants will have an improved understanding of the role that mentorship can play in professional development, ways to access local and distant mentors and the mutual benefits of mentoring.

Power of Peers: Students’ Perceptions of Pairing in Clinical Dental Education

Prior studies have identified many benefits of peer mentoring in higher education, but the subject has not been widely examined in dental clinical education. Students at Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine-Arizona are paired with a partner for the duration of the clinical phase of education. The initial vision behind pairing was to train students in a realistic four-handed, efficient general practice model. The aim of this study was to assess the students' perceptions of the peer mentoring component of pairing third- and fourth-year dental students in the clinical phase of their education. A survey was developed to seek answers to three questions: 1) Did the students perceive that the peer mentoring supported principles of adult learning? 2) Did the students feel they were prepared to enter into the peer learning relationship? 3) What were the students' perceptions of peer mentoring in their clinical education? Data were collected through an online survey delivered to third- (n=114) and fourth-year (n=104) students at the completion of the 2014-15 school year. The 19-question survey had a 61% response rate. The benefits of pairing were found to go far beyond the initial vision of promoting a general practice model. The majority (70.1%) of responding students perceived that it added to the educational experience, and 68.5% frequently/always agreed that the mentor-mentee relationship motivated them to learn. Although the students expressed many benefits of pairing, 29.3% identified a need for more focused training prior to entering into the mentor-mentee relationship.

A Novel Measure of "Good" Mentoring: Testing Its Reliability and Validity in Four Academic Health Centers.

Despite the well-recognized benefits of mentoring in academic medicine, there is a lack of clarity regarding what constitutes effective mentoring. We developed a tool to assess mentoring activities experienced by faculty and evaluated evidence for its validity. The National Initiative on Gender, Culture, and Leadership in Medicine-"C-Change"-previously developed the C-Change Faculty Survey to assess the culture of academic medicine. After intensive review, we added six items representing six components of mentoring to the survey-receiving help with career and personal goals, learning skills, sponsorship, and resources. We tested the items in four academic health centers during 2013 to 2014. We estimated reliability of the new items and tested the correlation of the new items with a mentoring composite variable representing faculty mentoring experiences as positive, neutral, or inadequate and with other C-Change dimensions of culture. Among the 1520 responding faculty (response rate 61-63%), there was a positive association between each of the six mentoring activities and satisfaction with both the amount and quality of mentoring received. There was no difference by sex. Cronbach α coefficients ranged from 0.89 to 0.95 across subgroups of faculty (by sex, race, and principal roles). The mentoring responses were associated most closely with dimensions of Institutional Support (r = 0.58, P < .001), Institutional Change Efforts for Faculty Support (r = 0.52, P < .001), Values Alignment (r = 0.58, P < .001), Self-efficacy (r = 0.43; P < .001), and Relationships/Inclusion/Trust (r = 0.41; P < .001). Data demonstrated that the Mentoring scale is a valid instrument to assess mentoring. Survey results could facilitate mentoring program development and evaluation.

Supporting the development and professional growth of middle space educational leaders through mentoring

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce readers to the special issue on “middle space” education leaders (those individuals who are second-in-command in schools). The special issue contains papers pertaining to mentoring those preparing for and aspiring to the assistant school leader role, as well as papers on programs that support new assistant principals/vice-principals through mentoring and coaching. The authors provide background on middle space leadership and mentoring from existing research literature, introduce the international papers selected for the issue, and identify unifying themes across the papers. Design/methodology/approach – The authors provide highlights of relevant research literature on the importance of mentoring for school leaders in general, but also specifically address the need for mentoring for middle space leaders from the scant literature that exists on the topic. After reviewing the relevant literature, the authors provide an overview of the seven papers that were chosen for the issue through a rigorous peer-review process. Findings – The co-editors of this special issue identify common themes that emerged from the papers chosen for the issue. In general, authors note that middle space leaders have unique mentoring and coaching needs, and there are few formal programs that address their needs. However, there is a growing awareness of the need to support assistant principals through structured mentoring programs, as well as preparing and mentoring those who aspire to the position. Research limitations/implications – The seven papers chosen for the special issue represent a variety of research methodologies. A limitation is that the majority of the studies are qualitative, with small sample populations. However, even with small sample sizes, commonalities can be seen across the studies and across international contexts. Practical implications – This review summarizes the issues facing middle space leaders in education and how they can be effectively addressed. The global audience that can benefit from engaging with the papers in this special issue includes educational leadership faculty, educational governing bodies, policymakers, school district central office personnel, senior principals, and assistant principals themselves. Originality/value – This paper and the seven that follow extend the scant research literature in the realm of middle space leaders in education. They provide unique insights – from different international contexts including the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, and New Zealand – into the need for and potential benefits of mentoring and coaching aspiring and new middle space leaders.

AN ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF MENTOR SATISFACTION WITH THEIR YOUTH MENTORING RELATIONSHIPS

Research shows the benefits of mentoring in promoting positive youth development. Yet less is known about mentors and what predicts mentor satisfaction. Such knowledge is vital to understanding how to recruit and retain adult mentors for youth. Thus, in the current study, we examine mentors as embedded in a social ecology of relationships, such as relationships with their mentee, mentee's family, and mentoring organization they volunteer with. We use data from 247 mentors to test how each of these relationships (mentor with the mentee, mentee's family, and mentoring organization) independently and interactively predict mentor satisfaction. Findings indicate that all relationships are unique predictors of mentor satisfaction, and that relationships with the mentee's family and mentors’ mentoring organization interact in predicting mentor satisfaction. Overall, considering multiple relationships shows how various dimensions of the social ecology uniquely and interactively predict mentor satisfaction. Limitations and implications for mentoring practice are discussed.

Cultural implications of mentoring in sub-Saharan Africa: a qualitative study.

Although many studies have demonstrated the benefits of mentoring in academic medicine, conceptual understanding has been limited to studies performed in North America and Europe. An ecological model of mentoring in academic medicine can provide structure for a broader understanding of the role of culture in mentoring. The goal of this study was to explore the role of culture in the development and maintenance of mentoring relationships within the context of the University of Malawi College of Medicine. A qualitative study using in-depth, semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis was conducted to explore the meaning of mentorship at the study institution. Criterion sampling was used to identify and recruit medical students, interns, registrars and faculty members. Study team members developed a codebook through open coding and applied it to all interview transcripts. Thematic analysis was used to identify and categorise themes according to an ecological model. A total of 46 participants from two major centres in Malawi were interviewed. Themes were identified within three domains: the intrapersonal; the interpersonal, and the institutional. Intrapersonal themes included Malawian politeness, mentoring needs, and friendliness and willingness to help. Interpersonal themes included understanding the role of the mentor, respect for elders, personal and professional boundaries, and perceptions of others. Institutional themes included the supervisor versus mentor, time pressures, tension about the scope of training, and the mentoring cycle. This study highlights the strengths of and challenges imposed by culture to the provision of mentoring relationships at the study institution. It also highlights the central role of culture in mentoring and proposes an updated model for mentoring in academic medicine. This model can inform future research on mentoring and may serve as a model in the larger effort to provide faculty development in mentoring across sub-Saharan Africa.

An overview of the benefits of peer mentoring for PASS leaders

PASS, which stands for Peer Assisted Study Sessions, is a long running and internationally renowned form of peer learning that involves trained higher year students (PASS leaders) working in pairs to facilitate regular study groups with students in the year below. Not only does it aim to widen participation by providing a support mechanism aimed at helping students stay in Higher Education but the use of PASS has been shown to enhance academic performance and promote the development of skills and attributes to strengthen employability. This is particularly the case for PASS leaders who are often described as the ‘real winners’ in the process. However, research in this area is limited. With this in mind, this paper sets out to describe the particular benefits of PASS for peer leaders and, in so doing, draws on some peer mentoring research, much of which has been conducted in an American and Australian context. As such, the paper should be of particular interest to those wishing to determine whether the various claims can be generalised to the PASS process, as it currently exists within the UK.

Benefits of Mentoring: An Essential Program for all Educational Institutes

Mentoring is not a one-day affair but a lifelong procedure that has a noteworthy and eloquent role in shaping a young individual to a more independent adult. Mentoring also helps in career building and development of mentee. S/he is a person of higher rank who provides sustenance and supervision to the beginner. Usmani et al shows that this common relationship has a momentous influence on mentees personal and professional advancement.

Benefits of Peer Mentoring to Mentors, Female Mentees and Higher Education Institutions

In this article, we discuss a study of a pilot mentoring program for early career female researchers at a university that addressed the under-representation of female researchers in senior academic positions. Embracing a grounded theory approach, we draw on a design comprising an ex-ante and an ex-post evaluation. We disclose that development mentoring was at play. Benefits for the mentees consisted of guidance to career planning, competence awareness, establishment of networks, navigating in the research environment, and moral support. In our study we also show that the mentor–mentee relationship was reciprocal, as also mentors benefited. Benefits for the mentors comprised professional development, institutional recognition, and personal satisfaction. We conclude with an inventory of benefits, including for the institution in terms of a strengthened research environment.

Learning for You and Learning for Me: Mentoring As Professional Development for Mentor Teachers

Professional development (PD) opportunities for teachers most commonly take place outside the classroom and are typically designed to address specific components of teachers’ instruction or curriculum. However, there are other activities that take place within the classroom that may have a profound impact on the PD of a teacher. We sought to gain a deeper understanding of the influence that placing a teacher in a mentor role can have on their PD and practice. Thus, we researched the influence of mentor teachers’ work with university-level STEM education majors by engaging in teaching a limited series of STEM inquiry-based lessons in the mentors’ classrooms. Surveys of the mentor teachers indicated that there were many positive benefits for mentors, including gaining new ideas, increased reflection on their practice, increased engagement of students, and in some cases shifts in practice.

Providing mentorship support to general surgery residents: a model for structured group facilitation

Mentorship is foundational to surgical training, with recognized benefits for both mentees and mentors. The University of Ottawa General Surgery Mentorship Program was developed as a module-based group facilitation program to support inclusive personal and professional development of junior general surgery residents. The group format provided an opportunity for both vertical and horizontal mentorship relationships between staff mentors and resident mentees. Perceived benefits of program participants were evaluated at the conclusion of the first year of the program. The program was well-received by staff and resident participants and may provide a time-efficient and inclusive mentorship structure with the additional benefit of peer support. We review the development and implementation of the program to date and share our mentorship experience to encourage the growth of formal mentorship opportunities within general surgery training programs.

The Mentee-Driven Approach to Mentoring Relationships and Career Success: Benefits for Mentors and Mentees

Abstract Introduction Effective mentoring relationships are important contributors to career satisfaction, academic productivity, perceived self-efficacy, and successful networking. They are especi...

Are coaching and mentoring skills crucial for ambulance service managers? A personal reflection

As readers will gather from considering this paper, this article represents a personal reflection following my participation in a Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Level 5 Coaching and Mentoring programme. It is not necessarily my intention to add academic rigour but to provoke and stimulate further discussion among colleagues in the paramedic profession. Personally, within UK ambulance Trusts, I feel the primary reason to firstly acquire, and then cultivate, coaching and mentoring skills is to develop good leaders who can fundamentally change the way in which organisations function. We need change, and while I understand that organisations will always need doers, developing good leaders will motivate, change culture, and ultimately produce sustainable results. According to Lee (2003: 7): ‘Coaching is arguably the most powerful method for developing a manager’s capacity for leadership’ (Lee, 2003). This statement must not be lost on ambulance traditionalists who can often display a preference for autocracy. Interestingly, I have seen many traditional ambulance managers benefit considerably from those ‘modernists’ who are willing to offer the hand of support. In researching this paper, I was particularly struck by the context in which coaching and mentoring skills are applied across various organisational sectors. For example, in addition to the rather conventional predictability of leadership development or talent management, authors emphasise the benefits of stress reduction, fostering independence, diversity, social integration, and retention strategies (Garvey et al, 2009). The list appears endless depending on which context they are being applied; however, the one common factor is change. Whether applied to behaviour, attitude, judgement, conviction, and perhaps most importantly, perspective, the same fundamental processes of coaching and mentoring can be applied, understood and used effectively, by mentors, coaches, or indeed, the recipients of such wisdom. Much of what is the science of coaching and mentoring is, in my opinion, common sense. It is the subtleties in methodology employed that can be the difference between change and preservation. Heaven knows that preservation of organisational behaviour has been the order of the day until recently, when outside forces have forced us, grudgingly, from our stupor. Even so, the acceptance of change has remained sluggish in many areas. So, in exploring the benefits of coaching and mentoring, I avidly set out to uncover the science in the context of change, and to offer some impression of clarity around the role of each, the purpose, the differences, and my experiences in adopting a new approach based on the learning and skills acquired.