IVSA
Standing Committee
on Wellness
WELLNESS TOOLKIT
MENTOR-MENTEE
PROGRAM
The IVSA Mentor-Mentee program aims to pair current veterinary students with practicing veterinarians to help foster a learning partnership. This partnership creates an open environment for the mentee to ask questions and advice of the mentor who is able to provide honest feedback based upon their unique perspective and experience in the field. This will help to encourage and expose the mentee to their future as a veterinarian while fostering their learning experience during teaching years.
How it works?
Mentoring is a joint venture. Successful mentoring requires that the mentor and mentee share responsibility for learning and sustaining the relationship. Successful mentoring begins with creating a partnership. This means all parties need to be clear about what this relationship is going to look like and how it will be managed.
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The mentor and mentee should discuss the following items:
· Contact and response times
· Confidentiality
· Feedback
· Goals and accountability
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The mentor helps guide the mentee by fostering professional growth and career development. In order for the mentoring program to be successful mentors and mentees must be active and committed participants.
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Successful mentoring programs have:
- A clear definition of mentoring and a clearly defined purpose or set of expectations
- A commitment to the program on the part of both mentors and mentees
- Activities that engage both mentors and mentees
- Regular communication, as established by the mentoring agreement
- Maintenance of confidentiality within mentoring relationships
Trust and respect
The mentoring relationship is based on mutual trust and the guarantee of confidentiality is essential.
Mutual Benefit
The relationship should benefit both the mentor and the mentee.
Gradual Approach
Mentoring is dynamic and the mentor and mentee should expect relationship changes.
Reciprocity
Both the mentor and the mentee are responsible for the success of their relationship. It is important to clarify the roles and responsibilities of each party from the beginning.