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The mentor’s role

Ann Rolfe
Korean Journal of Medical Education 2016;28(3):315-316.
Published online: June 30, 2016

Mentoring Works, Umina Beach, Australia

© The Korean Society of Medical Education. All rights reserved.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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The mentor’s job is to listen, provide constructive feedback, help their mentee consider various options, refer them to resources available and facilitate their decision-making regarding study, work or career matters. The mentor may choose to share their own experiences and, if asked, give advice. The mentor may help the mentee identify skills that could be developed, coach them and give them an opportunity to practice and receive feedback. They may act as a sounding board for the mentee’s problems, ideas or career plans, by asking questions that cause them to explore issues. Mentors may challenge the mentee’s thinking. In these ways mentors provide guidance. The mentor does not solve problems; rather they are a collaborator in a problem solving process.
Typically a mentoring relationship develops over time (Fig. 1) [1].
1. Starting
During the initial contact and exploration you get to know each other. This is a time to define the mentoring relationship, clarify expectations and set goals. The mentee may look to the mentor for leadership in this phase or be quite assertive about what their needs are. Rapport building is the key element. Partners can develop empathy, find common interests and recognise and value their differences.
2. Relating
As the relationship evolves, you become more comfortable with one-another. You focus on the goals and tasks that you have agreed upon. Ideally, a kind of synergy develops that allows you to produce exciting results. Trust and intimacy may develop.
3. Parting
The mentoring has achieved its objectives and you may move into a collegial relationship, or friendship, or relinquish their roles. An acknowledgment of the conclusion of the mentoring relationship, such as a celebration or final event, is useful.
Fig. 1.

Phases in a Mentoring Relationship

kjme-2016-37f1.gif
  • 1. Rolfe A. Mentoring: mindset, skills and tools. Kincumber South, Australia: Mentoring Works; 2012.

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The mentor’s role
Korean J Med Educ. 2016;28(3):315-316.   Published online June 30, 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3946/kjme.2016.37
Download Citation

Download a citation file in RIS format that can be imported by all major citation management software, including EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and Reference Manager.
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The mentor’s role
Korean J Med Educ. 2016;28(3):315-316.   Published online June 30, 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3946/kjme.2016.37
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Fig. 1. Phases in a Mentoring Relationship

Fig. 1.

The mentor’s role
KJME : Korean Journal of Medical Education

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