John L. Keltner, M.D..

University of California, DavisDepartment of Ophthalmology &

Vision ScienceSacramento, California

The Mentee’s Perspective

Summary• My Background

• What is mentoring

• Goal Setting

• Problems

• Success/Failures

• Life Cycle over time

• Summary

My Background to talk about Mentoring:• Chair Department of Ophthalmology 26 years

• NIH U-10 Award for 16 years OHTS• NIH U-10 Award for 20 years ONTT

• Director of Faculty Mentoring Program 5 years

• Director of Department Research Program 5 years

• Member of the IRB in the 4th year

• Chaired Four Search Committees for Department Chair

• Member of Medical Staff Investigation Committees x 3

Background

• Chair started 1977 with 2 clinicians and one VA Clinician

• Retired from Chair 2003 12 Clinicians (including 4 at VA) and 4 PhDs

• Survived 8 Deans ( 5 Permanent and 3 Acting)

• Survived 5 Hospital Directors

What is a Mentor

Darling’s Definition:“Mentors are resource persons and counselors with whomprotégés clear their thinking or sound out the validity of an important decision.

A mentor is an individual whom the protégé can trustto have his or her best interest at heart, someone who would risk telling them what they need to know even though it might be painful for them.

A mentor is someone whose perspective and judgment a protégé values and trust implicitly.”

What do Mentors Do?

• Counsel, advice, guidance, moral support and nurturing

• Listen, probe, and clarify

• Provide a standard of excellence the mentee will aspire to surpass

• Provide the mentee a sense of competence and clarify the identity of the mentee

Mentoring in the SOM

• Mentoring culture in the SOM must be nurtured

• Trust and Openness must be valued

• Mentoring is a longitudinal process

What do Mentors Do?

• Avoid trial and error learning

• Provides structure to the learning process

• Shares knowledge that can only be attained through experience

• Mentor must be secure enough to TEACH ALL

• Unselfish gifts of time, energy, trust and willingness for self-disclosure

Life Cycle of Mentoring (Dr Garman UCSD SOM)

• Building trust (early)

• Providing information and advice (middle)

• Challenging old behaviors

• Presenting alternatives

• Motivating Change

• Helping design a career vision for the future

Director of Mentoring Program

• Match Mentor and Mentee PairsPersonalities should match

• Must have an administrative assistant whoschedules meetings or they will not happenChair must support this position

• Monitor that meetings are happening

Who should be Mentored?• Everyone!!

• Rare to have Deans develop a Chair Mentoring Process for Chairs--who mentors Deans?

• Chairs Need to set up a Department Mentoring Process for Faculty

Senior Faculty who agree and will make the time Clinicians for Clinicians

Researchers for Researchers (Can be both Cliniciansand Researchers)

Grant Coach

Who Should Mentor• Senior Faculty who have the time to spend

The means reading papers and grants

• Senior Faculty who are willing to share their Academic knowledge, be supportive and encouraging

• Senior Faculty who have been successful

• Senior Faculty who can help you develop a networking program of colleagues

• Senior Faculty who can help establish collaborative research programs

For example: clinicians and Phds

• Networking

• Have they read the APM and understood it

• Remember the 8 year RULE

• Work/Life Balance!!!

GOAL SETTING WITH MENTEE

Goal Setting Set Current Goals and for each Resources and Barriers:

Teaching- Courses, invited meetings, students

Research and related activities

Patient Care (Clinical Activates for clinicians)

Service or Administrative activities-should limit for for junior faculty

Self Development- for yourself-meetings, journals

Service-Committees, University and Public Service

GOAL SETTING WITH MENTEE

• Goal setting- 5 year plan

• Post the 5 year plan and review it often

• Mentor should review with Mentee several times per year

• Annual review with Mentor and Department Chair

• Request from Chair Resources necessary to reach Goals--Mentor can help validate this request

Develop Priorities with Mentee (Note Depends on Acad Series)

• Need to develop a focused and productive research program

• Good teaching is essential but does not substitute for high quality research program

• Service Junior Faculty may interfere with advancement for Assistant Professors--Learn to be selective and say NO

Mentorship Agreement:

Responsibilities of MentorProvide assessment and plan next stepAdvocacy with the Chair and othersHelp Reduce stressActively address problems or issues with

mentorship relationship

Number of MentorsMost Mentees have multiple mentorsGenerally a MAM and maybe a RAM

Develop the Program

• Have Mentor and Mentee Sign the Agreement

• Set Goals and Objectives

• Meet 2 to 3 times In the year formally

• Meet informally frequently

• Part of the Mentor’s responsibility is reading the papers and grants

Selecting a Mentor

• A Senior Faculty who has successfully moved through the ranks and is willing to mentor

• Senior Faculty who is considered to be excellent teacher and researcher

• Some in your research field or knowledgeable about your field

• Someone with whom you feel comfortable discussing problems

Mentee’s Responsibilities

• Mentee is responsible for your Documentation

• Keep your CV up to date

• Keep record of teaching evaluations

• Keep record of service and administrative tasks

• Preparing your promotion Packet is ultimately mentee’s responsibility!!

Mentee’s Responsibilities• Must work hard to accomplish the goals and objectives agreed on with the Mentor

• Do not ask the Mentor to review a grant one week before it is due!!!

• Do not ask the Mentor to review a final draft of a paper- make the suggested changes or have good reasons why not to

• Appreciate your Mentor’s time and energy spent on your behalf

Truths to share with the Mentee• Set priorities and keep them

• Push hard to get your research goals accomplished

• Remember Staff make you successfulTREAT THEM WELL!!!

• Do at least one Conf Paper per year-forces deadlines

• Set aside time each day/week for research and writing

• There is never enough time learn to say NO

• Enjoy what you do and have a life outside academics!!

Truths to share with the Mentee• Read the Academic Personnel Manual (APM) on requirements for advancement - 8 year RULE

• What is required for a particular Academic Series

• Research: basic, clinical, clinical trials

• Teaching; students, residents, fellows

• Service: type and what is required--•University, National, International• Journal reviews, Boards, Committees

• RECORD KEEPING IS ESSENTIAL

Mentoring Success Stories

• Mentoring my Faculty over the yearsFaculty Merits and Promotions

• Mentoring many residentsResidents pass their boards

• Mentoring many medical students researchMedical students get residencies

• Just graduated a Mentee after 7 years UCD

• Currently have 3 Mentee junior faculty and 2 Medical Students

Measuring Success of Mentoring Program

• Academic Publications

• Research Grants

• Merits and Promotions

• Teaching Awards

• Local, National, and International Reputation

• Faculty Turn over

Mentor vs Tormentor

• Mentoring process must be monitored

• Toxic Mentor

• Toxic Mentee

• Toxic Environment

• Director of Mentoring program or Department Chair must monitor the Program

Summary• Mentee must work hard to achieve the Goals of the Program

• Read APM - 8 Year RULE

• Have a Administrator who can tracking Program

• Department Chair must “Buy into the Program”

• Match Mentor and Mentee

• Success can be monitored by Academic Promotion and faculty turn over in a Department

References:

• UCD School of Medicine Career Mentoring Handbook 2007-2008• Garman, Karen Ed,D, MAPP, UCSD Medical Board of California News Letter• Darling LW, Journal of Nursing Admin. 1984 14(10): 42-44.• Collins EG, Scott P, Harvard Business Review 1978: 56:89-101• Roch GR, “Much ado about mentors”, Harvard Business Review, 1979; 57:14-28