Characteristics of a Responsible Mentor

• A consummate professional, who:

• Is a role model in activities associated with being an academic health care provider – caring for patients and teaching others to do the same, writing, researching, collaborating and presenting.
• Engages the mentee in level-appropriate activities, easing the mentee into their career process.
• Understands the importance of networking and helps the mentee build his or her network.
• Models the highest ethical standards.

 

• A good listener – attentive, perceptive, unbiased and diplomatic.

• Accessible and available – willing to get to know the junior faculty and keep in touch, understanding that the frequency depends on the needs of junior faculty.

• Sensitive to diversity – aware of differences such a physical disability, gender, culture or life circumstances that may require special accommodations; aware of campus and local support groups that can help the mentee; and aware of one’s own limits in dealing with diversity issues.

• A team player – receptive to the mentee’s need for other mentors.

• A character builder – providing the mentee with an honest assessment of his or her strengths and weaknesses and helping the mentee acquire the confidence and tools to function in the competitive world of academic medicine.

Adapted from the list in Mentoring, interdisciplinary curricula, and assessment. Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

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