Effective Mentorship
How to Be an Effective Mentor/Mentee
May 15, 2023
Mentorship is a huge part of physician success in medicine. For as hard as we have worked and as much sacrifice as we have made, at some point, we have all had someone (or multiple people) play an integral role in our achievements. How can you be an effective mentee? And what, exactly, makes an effective mentor? EMRA*Cast host Will Smith, MD, speaks with one of the greats, Arlene Chung, MD, MACM.
Host
Will Smith, MD
Emergency physician in Northern California
Graduate, Nuvance Health/Vassar Brothers Medical Center Residency
@WTSmithMD | wtsmithmd
EMRA*Cast Episodes
Guest
Arlene S. Chung, MD, MACM, FACEP
University of Vermont
Vice Chair of Academic Affairs/Professor of Emergency Medicine
CORD Board of Directors
NY-ACEP Board of Directors
EMRA Articles
Overview
Mentorship is a huge part of physician success in medicine. For as hard as we have worked and as much sacrifice as we have made, at some point, we have all had someone (or multiple people) play an integral role in our achievements. How can you be an effective mentee? And what, exactly, makes an effective mentor? EMRA*Cast host Will Smith, MD, speaks with one of the greats, Arlene Chung, MD, MACM, about how to make the most of this uniquely rewarding collaboration.
TAKE-HOME POINTS
- Mentorship is not a “one size fits all” model where one person serves as a singular resource for all aspects of advice and insight.
- Breaking down mentor archetypes into Traditional, Coach, Sponsor and Connector can help a mentee understand how the mentor will function.
- As a mentee, it is 100% appropriate (and many times advantageous) to discuss expectations or goals of the mentor/mentee relationship.
- Having a “Personal Board of Directors” is a way to ensure one is receiving the most appropriate and effective type of mentorship in all aspects of life.
- Communication preferences can vary greatly between people and among different generations. Figuring out the ways in which people prefer to connect will positively affect the way information is shared and can help avoid unintentional misunderstandings.
