Individual Mentoring Research Articles

The cultural politics of a sense of failure in feminist anti-racist mentoring

A sense of failure can be a central motivation and questioning force that pushes us as feminist geographers in uncomfortable, yet potentially productive, directions. Where failure has been applied as an analytic lens to geographical research, the ‘doing’ of our profession extends beyond fieldwork to our classrooms and mentoring relationships. This article argues that there is value in proactively treating our feelings of failure as resources not only to improve our individual feminist anti-racist mentoring practices but also to use emotional residues to inspire broader conversations that can collectively disrupt masculinist, racist, heteronormative, and ableist professional norms. It is too easy to individualize and demonize failure when instead it needs to be institutionally contextualized and cooperatively understood in order to be leveraged for social change. Drawing upon methodological practices of critical self-reflection and collective biography, we interrogate four empirical examples of dyadic mentoring and two collective co-mentoring initiatives. Feelings of failure are used as an analytic lens into the cultural politics of mentoring relationship from a mentor’s perspective.

Strengthening primary eye care in South Africa: An assessment of services and prospective evaluation of a health systems support package.

Visual impairment is a significant public health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where eye care is predominantly provided at the primary healthcare (PHC) level, known as primary eye care. This study aimed to perform an evaluation of primary eye care services in three districts of South Africa and to assess whether an ophthalmic health system strengthening (HSS) package could improve these services. Baseline surveys were conducted in Cape Winelands District, Johannesburg Health District and Mopani District at 14, 25 and 36 PHC facilities, respectively. Thereafter, the HSS package, comprising group training, individual mentoring, stakeholder engagement and resource provision, was implemented in 20 intervention sites in Mopani District, with the remaining 16 Mopani facilities serving as control sites. At baseline, less than half the facilities in Johannesburg and Mopani had dedicated eye care personnel or sufficient space to measure visual acuity. Although visual acuity charts were available in most facilities, <50% assessed patients at the correct distance. Median score for availability of nine essential drugs was <70%. Referral criteria knowledge was highest in Cape Winelands and Johannesburg, with poor clinical knowledge across all districts. Several HSS interventions produced successful outcomes: compared to control sites there was a significant increase in the proportion of intervention sites with eye care personnel and resources such as visual acuity charts (p = 0.02 and <0.01, respectively). However, engaging with district pharmacists did not improve availability of essential drugs (p = 0.47). Referral criteria knowledge improved significantly in intervention sites (p<0.01) but there was no improvement in clinical knowledge (p = 0.76). Primary eye care in South Africa faces multiple challenges with regard to organisation of care, resource availability and clinical competence. The HSS package successfully improved some aspects of this care, but further development is warranted together with debate regarding the positioning of eye services at PHC level.

Supporting scientists from underrepresented minority backgrounds

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the developmental networks of graduate students of color participating in PROMISE, Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate program, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded graduate retention and support program. The authors specifically examine how underrepresented minority students gain access to needed supports through building individual mentoring relationships and broader networks of support.Design/methodology/approachThe authors rely on a case study approach to explore developmental networks and support accessed by students participating in the PROMISE program. A total of 16 students of color in STEM fields from three institutions in the University of Maryland System have participated.FindingsStudy findings reveal that scientists from underrepresented backgrounds construct and draw from diverse developmental networks that include individuals from within and outside of the academic community. Key relationships include advisors; faculty with whom they share identities, peers in and outside of their programs; and administrators. Developers play distinct roles within the networks including shaping students’ emerging professional identities as scientists and providing psychosocial support. Student agency and initiative as well as faculty engagement and programs like PROMISE further enhanced student access to mentorship.Research limitations/implicationsThis study offers unique insights into the nature, cultivation and resources gained from the relationships that make up the developmental networks of science graduate students from underrepresented backgrounds.Originality/valueTraditional notions of mentoring and support, particularly in graduate education, highlight the role and importance of the student’s advisor in their growth and development. This study is unique in its focus on the multiple relationships students of color in science form. This study offers specific insight into the nature, construction and resources gained from developmental networks formed by a group of underrepresented minority students in STEM graduate education.

Case studies in teaching and research mentorship for undergraduates in structural acoustics and vibration

A hybrid educational model that mixes classroom learning and individual mentoring is presented for junior and senior undergraduates interested in structural acoustics and vibration. In this activity, talented undergraduates take Duke’s first graduate level acoustics course and simultaneously take multiple semesters of independent study for academic credit. The independent studies are co-supervised by faculty members and graduate students. The student research projects are individualized and typically separate from ongoing graduate student research. This structure allows the undergraduate students to feel strong ownership, while giving graduate students teaching and mentoring experience, and providing faculty with a vehicle to explore new ideas. Projects typically have both analytical and experimental components that allow the students to develop their proficiency with visualization and computational tools while developing their physical insight. Several case studies are presented that show impressive resu...

Experiences from the Trenches of Graduate Online Education in Spanish

Experiences from the Trenches of Graduate Online Education in Spanish Jeffrey Longwell Keywords graduate program/programa graduado, online classes/clases en línea, Master of Arts in Spanish/maestría en español, Spanish/español, twenty-first-century learning/aprendizaje en el siglo XXI In 2008, the Department of Languages and Linguistics at New Mexico State University (NMSU) entered the twenty-first-century world of online distance education and learning (ODEL) by launching the first program of its kind, an online Master of Arts in Spanish degree. The extremely high demand for online graduate education caused the program to grow quickly, and at the apex in the 2013–14 academic year, saw 120 students, representing a 445% increase from the initial 22 with the optimal level reached this academic year where we can effectively support 80–100 students. Now, more than eight years after the first class was offered, 117 students have graduated from the program. There are many lessons to be learned from the following experiences as our profession continues to expand and fill new niches in the twenty-first century. Quality in Course Content and Delivery First and foremost in all discussions as the program was conceived, organized, and implemented, was the need to maintain a certain level of quality of instruction and content in the courses. The initial courses were offered by faculty members who had received prior training through NMSU's educational technologies training center on implementing emerging technologies into courses. These faculty members were invaluable to the professional development of other faculty as they provided both group training and individual mentoring for faculty joining the ODEL program and adapting future courses for successful delivery. Currently, the majority of the eight faculty members who actively teach in the program have voluntarily received formal instruction on the implementation of emerging technologies as well as national quality rubrics for ODEL. It is recommended that any program seeking to expand into this new arena, do so only after careful planning and faculty preparation. Faculty must adapt, reinvent themselves, and commit to being as engaged with their ODEL learners as they are with their face-to-face or hybrid learners. To not do so is a disservice to the students and the profession. Program Management and Sustainability The initial ballooning growth was difficult to sustain due to a couple of critical issues. First, there is faculty workload. Initially, the entire faculty taught ODEL courses as compensated overloads. Obviously, this cannot be sustained over a long period of time with the understanding [End Page 155] that continuous overloads cause fatigue and potentially take faculty from other required duties. Secondly, and most importantly, the program and faculty were concerned about the importance of maintaining a quality level of engagement with students. Decisions were made to reduce enrollment for a short period to reach the optimal level. This ultimately worked in everyone's favor as now, all faculty teach ODEL courses as part of their regular loads with no more need for overloads. A positive note for the program has been that due to the demand for ODEL in the program, our most recent tenure track faculty hire was contracted with the words, "experience in online teaching preferred" as part of the qualifications, something that should be appearing more frequently in our profession. Online Pedagogy Transforming Students' Education with Tangible Outcomes One of the insights gained is in the area of online pedagogy and how it transforms a student's education. This transformation focuses on transitioning the role of the student from being a passive learner to one that assumes a more active and involved role, and truly converting the teacher/instructor/professor into more of a facilitator of learning, or as a model or guide. In ODEL courses, students are collaborating and engaging with colleagues from across the country and world, exposing them to cultural diversity and experience not available in the face-to-face environment with positive tangible outcomes. End of program student evaluations have commented favorably on the program's rigor, depth, and quality. The program is producing well-prepared graduates, some of whom are teachers at all levels of K–20, and others continuing on to doctoral programs...

Peer support systems and professional identity of student nurses undertaking a UK learning disability nursing programme.

This practitioner based action research examines the implementation of the peer assisted study scheme (PASS) and individual peer mentoring in a cohort of first year undergraduate nursing students. It arose out of the desire of a small number of students in one UK university to transfer from the learning (intellectual) disabilities nursing field to other fields. The number of learning disabilities nurses is falling in England, and nursing shortages and student nurse retention generally is an international concern. The peer support was evaluated by 21 completed questionnaires. All the students had found the sessions they attended useful. Four themes emerged from the study. Students reported gains in knowledge around academic skills, placements and their chosen field of nursing; students felt more confident as a result of attending the sessions; students felt supported, and the importance of the peer mentor's interpersonal skills was highlighted; and finally students had valued meeting other students in their chosen field. These findings are discussed with reference to relevant literature.

What Do Mentors Learn? The Role of Protégé Role Behavior and Relationship Quality in Mentor Learning

Mentoring is defined as a reciprocal relationship between a less experienced individual (protégé) and a more experienced individual (mentor) that has consistent, regular contact over a period of time and is intended to promote mutual growth, learning, and development within the career context (Haggard, Dougherty, Turban & Wilbanks, 2011; Kram, 1985). Inherent in this definition of mentoring is that individuals learn, develop, and grow from their mentoring interactions. Despite this, limited research explores the learning that occurs from mentoring relationships. Drawing on the relational mentoring perspective (Ragins, 2012) and social learning theory (Bandura, 1971, 1977), the purpose of this study is to examine what mentors learn from mentoring experiences and how these experiences relate to mentor outcomes. The outcomes include mentoring self- efficacy, mentor learning, and mentor behavioral change intentions. We tested our assertions in a mixed methods study of 204 professor mentors. We found that mentors gained mentoring-specific, occupational-specific, and relational knowledge from mentoring their protégés. Additionally, mentors identified specific changes they wished to make to their mentoring behavior from their experiences with their protégés. Furthermore we found partial support for our mediated model which suggests that protégé role behaviors relate to mentor learning outcomes through mentor-protégé exchange.

A randomized controlled trial of physical activity with individual goal-setting and volunteer mentors to overcome sedentary lifestyle in older adults at risk of cognitive decline: the INDIGO trial protocol

BackgroundIncreasing physical activity (PA) effectively in those who are inactive is challenging. For those who have subjective memory complaints (SMC) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) this is a greater challenge necessitating the need for more engaging and innovative approaches. The primary aim of this trial is to determine whether a home-based 6-month PA intervention with individual goal-setting and peer mentors (GM-PA) can significantly increase PA levels in insufficiently active older adults at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD).MethodsCommunity living 60–80 year olds with SMC or MCI who do not engage in more than 60 min per week of moderate intensity PA will be recruited from memory clinics and the community via media advertisements to participate in this randomized, single-blind controlled trial. All participants will receive an individually tailored home-based PA program of 150 min of moderate intensity walking/week for 6 months. The intervention group will undertake individual goal-setting and behavioral education workshops with mentor support via telephone (GM-PA). Those randomized to the control group will have standard education workshops and Physical Activity Liaison (PAL) contact via telephone (CO-PA).Increase in PA is the primary outcome, fitness, cognitive, personality, demographic and clinical parameters will be measured and a health economic analysis performed. A saliva sample will be collected for APOE e4 genotyping. All participants will have a goal-setting interview to determine their PA goals.Active volunteers aged 50–85 years will be recruited from the community randomized and trained to provide peer support as mentors (intervention group) or PALS (control group) for the 6-month intervention. Mentors and PALS will have PA, exercise self-efficacy and mentoring self-efficacy measured.Participants in both groups are asked to attend 3 workshops in 6 months. At the first workshop, they will meet their allocated Mentor or PAL who will deliver their respective programs and support via 6 telephone calls during the intervention.DiscussionIf the GM-PA program is successful in increasing the PA levels of the target group it will potentially provide another strategy and community resource that can be translated into practice.Trial registrationAustralia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12613001181796. (29/10/2013) retrospectively registered.

PRVO SREČANJE S PORODOM MED ŠTUDENTI BABIŠTVA: SAMOOCENA OBČUTIJ OB PRVI KLINIČNI PRAKSI V PORODNEM BLOKU

Introduction: Feelings experienced by students when undergoing their first clinical practice marks their ability to acquire knowledge and experience, and can therefore affect their further career. The purpose of this research was to explore common feelings of midwifery students as experienced at their first clinical practice in a maternity ward. Methods: Descriptive research method based on quantitative research approach was used. An online questionnaire was used as a research tool. A purpose sample (n = 52) was used and students of Years 2, 3 and the final year of midwifery study course at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana were invited to participate as respondents in the study. Basic descriptive statistics were calculated. Results: The most frequent feelings that students experienced during their first clinical practice in the delivery room were being inexperienced, the gap between theoretical and practical knowledge, and stress. Previous secondary education was most statistically significant in terms of experiencing feelings. Among the students who previously attended non-health care secondary schools there were more statistically significantly students who felt unaccepted in the a clinical environment (92 % vs. 79 % of former students of health care secondary schools). These students also more commonly perceived the gap between theory and practice (79 % vs. 64 % of former students of health care secondary schools). On the contrary, students from health care secondary schools felt more unexperienced and consequently felt greater fear of harming patients (82 % vs. 62 % of former students of non-health care secondary schools). Discussion and conclusion: If students experience feelings such as stress, fear and uncertainty during their clinical practice, this hinders their abilities to learn and build their self-esteem. It would be necessary to improve the organization of clinical practice in order to promote students' realistic expectations before they engage in clinical practice, and to introduce supervision by an individual clinical mentor and enable students to self-evaluate their own feelings after they have completed clinical practice.

A Mixed-Methods Investigation of Preservice Music Teaching Efficacy Beliefs and Commitment to Music Teaching

The purpose of this study was to investigate the music teaching efficacy beliefs and commitment to teaching of preservice music teachers enrolled in an introductory music education course. Also explored was the impact of introductory music education course experiences on preservice music teachers’ music teaching efficacy beliefs and commitment to teaching. This study was conducted in a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, organized into two strands (Strand I: Quantitative, Strand II: Qualitative). Introductory music education students ( N = 684) from 41 National Association of Schools of Music–accredited institutions participated in Strand I, with a nested sample of 24 interviewees participating in Strand II. Preservice music teachers’ efficacy beliefs were interpreted as having two dimensions: music teaching efficacy beliefs and classroom management efficacy beliefs. Mixed-methods analyses indicated that introductory music education students’ music teaching efficacy beliefs may have been impacted by a variety of course experiences, including individual mentoring, peer teaching, and field experience. Participants’ commitment to teaching may have been strengthened by mentoring, although instances of weakened commitment were rare. Additional findings included the types and qualities of experiences perceived by participants as influential to music teaching efficacy beliefs or commitment.

Effect on return to work or education of Individual Placement and Support modified for people with mood and anxiety disorders: results of a randomised clinical trial

ObjectivesThe effect of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) on return to work or education among people with mood or anxiety disorders is unclear, while IPS increases return to work for...

The inherent catastrophic traps in retrograde CTO PCI.

When we learn to drive, our driving instructor tells us how to check the side mirror and turn your head to check the blind spot before changing lanes. He tells us how to stop at stop signs, how to drive in slippery conditions, the safe stopping distances, and these all make our driving safe. Similarly, when we learn PCI, our mentors teach us to seat the guiding catheter co-axially, to wire the vessel safely, to deliver balloon and stents over the wire, to watch the pressure of the guiding, in order that we perform PCI safely and evade complications. In retrograde CTO PCI, there is no such published teaching. Also many individual mentors have not had the wide experience to see all the possible complications of retrograde CTO PCI and, therefore, may not be able to warn their apprentice. As the number of retrograde procedures increase worldwide, there is a corresponding increase in catastrophic complications, many of which, we as experts, can see are easily avoidable. To breach this gap in knowledge, this article describes 12 commonly met inherent traps in retrograde CTO PCI. They are inherent because by arranging our equipment in the manner to perform retrograde CTO PCI, these complications are either induced directly or happen easily. We hope this work will enhance safety of retrograde CTO PCI and avoid many catastrophic complications for our readers and operators. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Developing across boundaries – mentor and mentee perceptions and experiences of cross-organisational mentoring

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the operating factors influencing a cross-organisational mentoring initiative created to support leadership development. The research provides insight on participants’ views and mentoring practices around planning and preparation of mentoring relationships, to inform future training of leaders.Design/methodology/approachThe research is inductive in nature, using an exploratory approach via a two-stage qualitative analysis. The qualitative data were gathered via interviews with the initiative partners and questionnaires distributed to all mentors and mentees involved. Data were gathered at the outset of the initiative and one year later.FindingsEmergent themes revealed that centrally driven criterion-based matching was deemed effective, with skills and experience of mentors perceived as more important than seniority. Support from senior management was of paramount importance at all stages. Clear personal and professional objective setting was vital at the outset of the mentoring relationship; however, a degree of fluidity in direction occurred over time. Planned periodic meetings to share experiences, aid reflection and gather feedback from individual mentors and mentees groups was requested. Finally, while the mentees should drive the process, it was recognised that mentors may be required to take the lead initially.Research limitations/implicationsIt is recognised that wider generalisations are limited; the initiative would require replication with a number of different participants to increase validity. However, as the research is exploratory in nature, there is value in the initial research findings with potential for replication within other organisations and for other cross-organisational mentoring initiatives.Practical implicationsThe research provides a number of useful themes which practitioners could use to explore the creation of a cross-organisational mentoring scheme and provides benchmarking indicators for this.Originality/valueThis is an innovative approach to leadership training that can be seen in the limited literature and theory related to cross-organisational mentoring as a leadership training tool that the design team, a partnership of HR academics and HRD professionals, were able to access.

Professionalism in Medical Education- Perspectives of Medical Students and Faculty

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. BackgroundAddressing professionalism in medical education is challenging. Increasing attention has been focused on developing professionalism in medical school graduates. The culture of faculty and the behaviors of medical graduates are often incongruent with professionalism.ObjectiveTo assess awareness of medical students and faculty about professionalism and suggest strategies for developing professionalism.MethodsValidated questionnaire about professionalism was used. Medical students (n=57) and Faculty (n=50) attending Faculty of Medicine (FOM) King Fahad Medical City Riyadh were included in study.ResultsAmong personnel characteristics, the most highly ranked items were honesty (faculty: 47(94%); students: 35(61.4%) adhering to ethics (faculty: 42(84%); students: 36(63.2%), and reliability in patient care (faculty: 42(84%); students: 35(61.4%).For the interaction with patients category, in highly ranked item was respect for patient (faculty: 44(88%); students: 38(66.7%).Regarding social responsibility, for students highly ranked items was improving access to health care (student: 31(54.4%) whereas faculty designated improving access to health care (faculty 31(62%) more important. With respect to strategies to improve professionalism, the highest ranked strategy across faculty was including in evaluation 29 (58%), while in students individual mentoring 28 (49.1%) was highly ranked strategy for developing professionalism.ConclusionThe difference in attitudes towards professionalism among students and faculty suggests unification of vision of both. Including in evaluation is better strategy for developing professionalism.

A dedicated scholarly research program in an adult and pediatric neurology residency program.

To describe and assess the effectiveness of a formal scholarly activity program for a highly integrated adult and pediatric neurology residency program. Starting in 2011, all graduating residents were required to complete at least one form of scholarly activity broadly defined to include peer-reviewed publications or presentations at scientific meetings of formally mentored projects. The scholarly activity program was administered by the associate residency training director and included an expanded journal club, guided mentorship, a required grand rounds platform presentation, and annual awards for the most scholarly and seminal research findings. We compared scholarly output and mentorship for residents graduating within a 5-year period following program initiation (2011-2015) and during the preceding 5-year preprogram baseline period (2005-2009). Participation in scholarship increased from the preprogram baseline (24 of 53 graduating residents, 45.3%) to the postprogram period (47 of 57 graduating residents, 82.1%, p < 0.0001). Total scholarly output more than doubled from 49 activities preprogram (0.92/resident) to 139 postprogram (2.44/resident, p = 0.0002). The proportions of resident participation increased for case reports (20.8% vs 66.7%, p < 0.0001) and clinical research (17.0% vs 38.6%, p = 0.012), but were similar for laboratory research and topical reviews. The mean activities per resident increased for published abstracts (0.15 ± 0.41 to 1.26 ± 1.41, p < 0.0001), manuscripts (0.75 ± 1.37 to 1.00 ± 1.40, p = 0.36), and book chapters (0.02 ± 0.14 to 0.18 ± 0.60, p = 0.07). Rates of resident participation as first authors increased from 30.2% to 71.9% (p < 0.0001). The number of individual faculty mentors increased from 36 (preprogram) to 44 (postprogram). Our multifaceted program, designed to enhance resident and faculty engagement in scholarship, was associated with increased academic output and an expanded mentorship pool. The program was particularly effective at encouraging presentations at scientific meetings. Longitudinal analysis will determine whether such a program portfolio inspires an increase in academic careers involving neuroscience-oriented research.

Роль института наставничества в профессиональном становлении молодых педагогов

The system of mentoring permits to eliminate the "gap" between the theoretical knowledge received by novice teachers during their university studies and the required qualification characteristics (described in the Russian Professional Standard for Teachers).This article presents the research data on the role of the system of mentoring in the professional development of young general education teachers.The data was obtained through a survey of entry-level and experienced teachers (490 participants) conducted in 6 regions of the Russian Federation in May-June 2016.According to the survey, most of the young professionals admit that more experienced colleagues can teach them a lot, but more than half of novice teachers believe that they "are often not up to date with current trends in pedagogy", and individual mentor assistance is not considered by novice teachers as a preferred form of professional development.The results of the survey showed that at present the institute of mentoring in the professional development has more importance for experienced teachers than for their young colleagues.

Extension activities of Kazan Imperial University in the 19th century

Based primarily on archival documents, this article explores the development of additional education in Kazan province, Russia, in the 19th century. Its genesis is found in the varying order of Kazan Imperial University extension activities which take the form of foreign academic and scientific mobility; individual mentoring practice of recognised scholars; masters’ advancement at Pedagogical Institute; creation of the Pedagogical Society in the framework of University Extension Movement. The historiography shows that in the course of its development additional education in Kazan Imperial University largely relied on the international experience and enthusiasm of its teaching staff.

Developing expertise in gynecologic surgery: reflective perspectives of international experts on learning environments and processes.

Research in medical education does not provide a clear understanding of how professional expertise develops among surgeons and what experiential factors contribute to that development. To address this gap, the researchers interviewed 16 international experts in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery to assess their reflective perceptions of what specific opportunities and experiences initiated and supported their development toward expertise in their field. Characteristics and influences explaining the speed and quality of expertise development were sorted into the following themes: the dynamic process of expertise development, internal and personal characteristics, general aptitudes and preparatory skills, role modeling and interpersonal influences, opportunities to learn and practice, and roles and reference points. Across the narratives and perspectives of these expert surgeons, both individual characteristics and choices, and contextual activities and opportunities were necessary and important. Experiences with greatest impact on quality of expertise development included those provided by the environment and mentors, as well as those sought out by learners themselves, to elaborate and supplement existing opportunities. The ideal combination across experts was interaction and integration of individual characteristics with experiential opportunities. Grounded in theory and research in expertise development, these findings can support improvement of medical education, both for individual mentors and strategic program development. As surgery evolves at a continuously increasing pace, effective mentoring of promising surgical trainees will be critical to ensure that future generations of gynecologic surgeons will remain excellent. Effective, efficient surgical expertise development requires identifying trainees with the appropriate characteristics and providing them with the best development opportunities.

Mentoring Early-Career Faculty Researchers Is Important—But First “Train the Trainer”

It has long been known that mentoring is critical to the success of junior faculty researchers. The controlled intervention study by Libby et al published in this issue of Academic Medicine demonstrates that institutional investment in a mentored research career development program for early-career faculty investigators provided significant long-term gains in grant productivity. Academic institutions hoping to replicate this program's success by launching similar mentoring programs for their junior faculty investigators will, however, find that the Achilles' heel lies in the scarcity of skilled research mentors and the relative lack of attention to and recognition of the importance of a supportive institutional climate for mentoring. It is essential, therefore, to begin by developing programs to "train the trainer" as well as programs and policies to support mentors. As a recent trial at 16 Clinical and Translational Science Award institutions demonstrated, competency-based, structured research mentor training can improve mentors' skills.In this Commentary, the authors offer a comprehensive two-pronged framework for mentor development with elements that address both individual mentoring competencies and the institutional climate for mentoring. The framework depicts the gaps, activities, and outcomes that a mentor development program can address. Activities directed at changing the institutional climate related to mentor development should complement training activities for individual mentors. The authors propose that employing this framework's approach to mentor development will lead to the desired impact: to increase the competence, productivity, and retention of a diverse clinical and translational research workforce.

Optimizing Your Mentoring Relationship: A Toolkit for Mentors and Mentees

Mentorship is a vital component of academic and professional development. Mentees report positive impacts from mentorship programs, yet institutions and societies may struggle to meet their mentees' needs due to factors such as mentor fatigue and lack of mentor training. To address this in our own professional society, the Association of Pediatric Program Directors, we developed a mentor toolkit in order to utilize a variety of mentoring models, provide faculty development for midlevel mentors, and offer guidance to mentees. Most of these tools were designed to be administered in an interactive format such as a workshop or seminar with think-pair-share opportunities. The toolkit begins by providing a definition of mentoring and reinforcing the benefits and the characteristics of effective mentoring relationships. Next, we discuss the important role that mentees have in creating and maintaining effective mentoring relationships (i.e., mentee-driven mentoring). We then introduce a mentoring mosaic activity designed to help mentees examine their professional network and think about how they might expand it to fulfill the spectrum of their mentoring needs. Next, we present guidelines for the implementation of four mentoring models that can be used within one's institution: traditional dyadic mentoring, peer group mentoring, meet the professor mentoring, and speed mentoring. We then provide tools that can be used to help facilitate effective mentoring development. This toolkit has successfully served as a self-guided resource at national meetings for many years, garnering positive feedback from mentors and mentees alike. The principles and methods are easily generalizable and may be used to guide mentorship programs within institutional and professional societies, as well as to assist mentors and mentees in optimizing their individual mentoring relationships.