Beyond “Who is your mentor?”
Year: 2024
Type: editorial
Abstract: We often think of mentorship, which catalyzes success in the academic setting, in the singular, asking, "Who is your mentor?" In reality, most of what we do in medicine—whether caring for patients, conducting research, or educating trainees—happens in teams. We don't expect one person to possess all the requisite expertise in these scenarios, and mentoring is no different. I share insights on building that cadre of mentors, focusing on the mentoring team and peer mentors. While each mentor can guide multiple facets of personal and professional development, mentees benefit most from mentors who provide different perspectives and complementary expertise. My preferred framework for an ideal research or scholarship team includes three key members: an academic investigator, a clinical content expert, and a methodologist. Depending on your interests, the content expert's focus can be defined narrowly (e.g., pneumonia) or broadly (e.g., health equity, value-based care). The methodologist's expertise should align with the focus of your work, such as a biostatistician for health services research or an improvement scientist for value-based care. Different stages of your work may require different methodologists. An individual mentor may fulfill more than one of the categories, but you still need at least three mentors on your team. One of these three should be designated as the primary mentor, responsible for holding you accountable. However, you'll benefit from the perspectives and expertise of the entire team. The mentee leads the organization of this team, including setting up meetings, creating the meeting agendas, keeping notes, and sharing action items. A typical cadence involves meeting every 2–3 weeks with the primary mentor, monthly or quarterly with the entire mentoring team, and as needed with select team members in small groups or individually. Of course, the mentee will have more frequent ad hoc informal communications with various team members, including telephone calls, e-mail exchanges, and short video conferences. Peer mentors, though well-described, remain an underappreciated source of mentorship.1 In successful peer mentorship models, clinicians or researchers at similar career stages learn from each other, share insights, and provide support. Including peer mentors from different divisions, departments, or institutions who share similar longer-term career goals, such as becoming independent researchers, educators, or clinical operations leaders, enhances growth by introducing participants to new ideas, broadening perspectives, and expanding professional networks. Peer mentorship groups complement mentoring teams. They provide a collaborative and psychologically safe environment where participants can share challenges, stresses, and concerns in ways not possible in hierarchical mentor–mentee relationships.2 This strong support network undoubtedly contributes to participants' success and well-being. Additionally, navigating group conflicts or celebrating a peer's career success (e.g., receipt of grant funding) while facing personal disappointments offers valuable opportunities to develop or refine communication, teamwork, and leadership skills. While some peer mentorship groups form naturally, creating one intentionally is beneficial. Participants should share their career goals, establish a group mission (e.g., achieving a specific task or career milestone), and hold each other accountable. Peer mentors can be found through local career development, scientific or other content-relevant lectures, local or national training programs, professional society listservs, regional and national conferences, and social media.3 Most of us are fortunate to accumulate mentors over time. Invariably, however, the roles of these different mentors will evolve. For instance, a mentor met through shared research interests may now serve as a sounding board for significant career decisions, such as moving to a different institution or accepting a new role within your organization. Embrace these changes. A robust group of mentors will be the cornerstone of your success at every career stage. The author declares no conflict of interest.
Source: Journal of Hospital Medicine
DOI: 10.1002/jhm.13435
Author: Samir S. Shah
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,240
OpenAlex ID: W4399684416