Mentoring Opportunities

Background

In the field of medicine, literature has shown that having a mentor and being a mentor has been significantly associated with:

• Increased research productivity
• Higher rates of promotion
• Increased retention rates of junior faculty
• Increased perception of career success and vitality

Traditional mentoring occurs when a person with more experience mentors someone with less experience. Although this form of mentoring can be quite successful and lead to increased professional satisfaction and personal enrichment, it has its flaws, including:

• A paucity of experienced mentors for junior faculty
• Mentors may be limited to their own content expertise
• Mentoring within a hierarchal schema may pose barriers to honest two-way feedback

Peer Group Mentoring (PGM) was designed as an alternative to traditional mentoring, in which a group of faculty of equal experience mentor each other. PGM has been found to allow for mutual feedback on career planning and success. Participants in PGM have the ability to work together to clarify their own career goals and priorities, as well as enhance their career vitality. In 2014, the Mentors Matter peer group mentoring program was developed in the Department of Medicine as an initiative to enhance mentorship in the Department. Drs. Raquel Belforti and Kathryn Jobbins are the directors for this program and are currently recruiting 10 BH providers for the 10th incoming class starting October 2024. Over the past seven years the program expanded beyond the Department of Medicine to include participants from Vascular Surgery, Trauma Surgery, Pediatrics, Neurology, Psychiatry, Psychology, OB/GYN, Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, as well as advanced practitioners from Hospital Medicine, Primary Care and PMR. The goal of the program is to provide faculty with the opportunity to improve their mentorship skills as well as enhance their own professional development towards academic promotion with the hopes that after completion of the program they will champion mentorship opportunities back in their respective departments.

Program Description

The program is comprised of 10 monthly, 4-hour workshops, one Friday per month 8-12pm occurring October 2024-July 2025. The time for participation will come from participants’ CME allotment for 50% of the time and the other 50% is covered by department colleagues.

Mentors Matter Goals

1. Participants will improve their mentorship skills
2. Participants will enhance their career vitality
3. The mentors matter program will improve the culture of mentorship at Baystate Health

Mentorship Skills Objectives

1. Compare and contrast Mentoring, Coaching, and Sponsorship
2. Describe and perform reflective listening
3. Identify barriers to effective communication and list ways to improve communication skills
4. Identify and demonstrate effective feedback skills
5. Describe and utilize Kotter’s Principles of Change
6. Describe and demonstrate principled negotiation skills
7. Describe and demonstrate conflict negotiation skills
8. Identify ways to improve work-life balance
9. Develop sponsorship skills for colleagues and self
10. Active Bystander Training
11. Discuss Imposter Syndrome and the basic concepts of self-coaching
12. Identify areas of disappointment and develop strategies to approach

Professional Development Objectives

1. Complete an I-speak Evaluation
2. Receive mentorship on a project
3. Update CV to the UMASS format
4. Complete a UMASS narrative statement
5. Develop a plan for academic promotion
6. Complete a values identification analysis
7. Complete the Pololi 5-year career plan
8. Participate in Immunity to Change program
9. Complete training in Restorative Justice Tier 1 circle keeping
10. Develop an Individualized Professional Development Plan

2024-2025 Program Dates

• October 11, 2024
• November 15, 2024
• December 13, 2024
• January 10, 2025
• February 7, 2025
• March 7, 2025
• April 18, 2025
• May 30, 2025
• June 20, 2025
• July 18, 2025