Recruit Participants for Entering Mentoring

Talking points and impact of training

The following points may be useful in recruiting mentor participants:

  • Strong mentorship has been linked to enhanced mentee productivity, self-efficacy, career satisfaction, and is an important predictor of the academic success of scientists in training.1-6
  • The curriculum is based on proven mentor training curricula; even experienced mentors learn strategies for more effective mentoring from the training.1-6
  • Federal funding agencies are calling for evidence-based mentor training and the use of Individual Development Plans (IDPs) in particular, which is covered in our research mentor training. The Entering Mentoring curricula series addresses the new NIGMS guidelines regarding the preparation of mentors involved in training grants. See
    NIGMS website for additional info.
  • By participating in research mentor training, mentors will receive resources and materials on how to be a more effective research mentor.
  • Mentors will have the opportunity to discuss mentoring challenges among peers, share best mentoring practices, read relevant literature, review structured documents for mentoring success (e.g., compacts and IDPs), and create a mentoring philosophy.
  • Mentors will learn to communicate more effectively, consider issues of human diversity, promote professional development and independence, and develop a reflective approach to mentoring.
  • Participant feedback will help improve the curricula for future mentors who attend this training.

You may consider offering Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits or course credit for attendance.

References

  1. Feldman MD, Arean PA, Marshall SJ, Lovett M, O’Sullivan P (2010). Does mentoring matter: Results from a survey of faculty mentees at a large health sciences university. Med Educ Online. 15: 10.3402/meo.v15i0.5063.
  2. Ramanan RA, Phillips RS, Davis RB, Silen W, Reede JY (2002). Mentoring in medicine: Keys to satisfaction. Am J Med. 112(4): 336-341.
  3. Sambunjak D, Straus SE, Marusic A (2010). A systematic review of qualitative research on the meaning and characteristics of mentoring in academic medicine. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 25(1): 72-78.
  4. Steiner JF, Curtis P, Lanphear BP, Vu KO, Main DS (2004). Assessing the role of influential mentors in the research development of primary care fellows. Acad Med. 79(9): 865-872.
  5. Nagda BA, Gregerman SR, Jonides J, Hippel WV, Lerner JS (1998). Undergraduate student-faculty research partnerships affect student retention. Review of Higher Education. 22: 55-72.
  6. Seymour E, Hunter A-B, Laursen SL, DeAntoni T (2004). Establishing the benefits of undergraduate research for undergraduates in the sciences: First findings from a three-year study. Science Education. 88: 493-594.

Mentors have said the following about Entering Mentoring:

“[The training] has helped me to understand that being a good mentor is not only about thriving in the science at any cost, but rather nurturing the growth of my mentees and understanding what they expect from this relationship and help them achieve it.”

— Associate Professor, Yale University

“Many of us mentor routinely but never think about the process in a formalized manner. These sessions provided useful focus to identify and address key and current mentoring issues, particularly through the discussion of the case studies. They also allowed participants to articulate their mentoring philosophy, to hear and share others’, and hopefully to integrate some of the approaches and philosophies into their own mentoring paradigm and practices.”

— Professor, University of Illinois at Chicago