Thank you for choosing to take part in this mentorship pilot as a mentee. The British Geriatric Society are introducing a mentorship scheme to encourage and support those who want to choose geriatric medicine. This questionnaire will help us match you to a mentor.
BGS’s Mentoring Guide
Geriatric Medicine is an expanding medical speciality, and we have a growing older population with complex needs. There are many medical professionals within the British Geriatrics Society with a variety of interests varying from medical education to leadership. As a result, we would like to encourage and support those who want to choose, or have chosen, geriatrics with this mentorship scheme.
Aims
- Facilitate an environment where more senior and experienced professionals can share knowledge with those new in training roles.
- Assist medical students and junior doctors in developing a career within Geriatrics
- Promote a mentor-mentee relationship with a professional focus
Objectives
- Find and match prospective mentor and mentees with similar interests
- Encourage mentors and mentees to set out clear aims and objectives in their initial meeting
- Allow mentors and mentees to define how regularly they will meet
Mentor – Mentee Relationship
We want to connect senior doctors with junior doctors with similar interests wherever possible
We do not want to define the relationship but rather give some guiding principles:
- There should be a focus on professional matters including matters to do with work-life balance
- There should be no expectation for the mentor to provide pastoral support
- It should be a confidential space
- In the first meeting, we expect the following to be discussed:
- The mentors and mentees professional career journey
- Common special interests such as medical education, leadership etc.
- How regular the meetings will be – we advise at least every 2 months – and how i.e. in person, online etc.
- The mentor and mentee to set out what they want from this relationship and what its focus should be
- The mentee to describe their respective career aspirations and any obstacles preventing them from achieving them
We expect mentors to:
- Gain insight into the mentee’s current professional situation
- Adapt what they can offer to the needs of the mentee
- Advise on how training works and offer information about career progression
- Provide clear, honest and constructive feedback
We expect mentees to:
- Be clear what the aims and objectives are from this relationship
- Reflect and learn from each meeting
- Be honest and open about matters being discussed
- Not expect pastoral support