The benefits of mentoring 

What are the benefits of mentoring, how can you find one, and what skills are required to be a mentor?

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on BMA

Mentoring can aid the development of doctors at all stages of their career and improve retention rates, work performance and work relationships. There are benefits for both parties.

Benefits for the mentee:

• A better understanding of the culture and structure of an organisation.
• Improved self-confidence.
• Increased skills and knowledge.
• A supportive environment in which successes and failures can be evaluated.
• The potential for increased visibility, and demonstration of your career focus.
• Individual attention from experienced senior colleagues.

Benefits for the mentor:

• Satisfaction from contributing to the mentee’s development. 
• Enhanced self-esteem.
• A revitalised interest in work through the opportunity to examine one’s own achievements and skills.
• Opportunities to test new ideas.
• An improved ability to share experiences and knowledge.

How to get a mentor

Before getting in touch with potential mentors you should have a think about which areas of your work would benefit most from having their support. The next steps you should take include:

• Informing your line manager – you do not need permission from your line manager, and your mentor should be separate from your line manager.
• Contacting your deanery – your deanery can tell you if there are any existing mentor schemes in your area.
• Arranging your first meeting with your mentor. 

Mentoring can be as formal or informal as you want it to be, but confidentiality is an important part of the relationship because you should feel able to speak freely. If a mentoring scheme is part of a formal relationship with the permission of the employer, time should be set aside from work for discussions. Having a checklist helps to inform your mentor of what you want to get out of the experience, and sets some ground rules around objectives, frequency of meetings and goals.

Becoming a mentor

Required skills of a mentor include:

• Questioning.
• Active listening.
• Challenging.
• Probing.
• Clarifying.
• Coaching.

You do not need to have a complete understanding of the working environment of the mentee in order to be able to offer them support. However, you will need to be skilled in the process of mentoring so that you are both getting the most out of the experience.

If you are thinking of becoming a mentor, and want to do some training, you can contact your HR department, local deanery or royal college.