Disaster - College of Veterinary Medicine - Texas A&M University

It is quite remarkable how important the mentoring
relationship has become within the veterinary profession. As
discussed in a previous edition of CVM Today, the mentoring
relationship has always been an important aspect of our
society demonstrated through apprenticeships, work/study
and shadowing programs, internships, and preceptorships.
There are numerous professions, careers and vocations that
depend on mentoring to assist individuals in their training
and aid them in their assimilation into the culture. Veterinary
medicine is no different. As veterinarians, if we are
able to accomplish excellence in mentoring, we are bound
to attract new faces to our profession and our practices, to
recruit and retain individuals to different areas within the
veterinary profession, and to share our passion for our profession.
Mentorship is one of the keys to our professional success.
In this edition, we will look at the mentoring contract.
Mentoring is relationship that is as much for our professional
development as veterinarians as it is a benefit to those
we mentor. To be a successful mentor requires an intentional
investment of time.
Why do some individuals not value investing in the mentoring
relationship? The reasons vary as much as the veterinarians
that make up our profession. The reasons include:
not having the time to invest
in a relationship, not believing
they possess the skills, or the
lacking understanding, (due
to their own history), of the
value of mentorship. However,
by learning a few simple steps,
even the most inexperienced
practitioner can prove to be a
valuable mentor.
Most veterinary students
enter in the educational process
with some level of understanding
of basic communication,
leadership, and technical skills.
While the educational process
can help develop these skills further, the intentional mentoring
relationship is where they are more finely honed.
The mentor should understand the responsibility of transitioning
the new graduate into a professional veterinarian.
Upon graduation, the new veterinarian has mainly attained
only entry-level skills. The mentoring relationship is an opportunity
to increase confidence and productivity in a newly
graduated DVM. To be successful, there must be mutual
respect and frequent feedback. Both parties are hoping for a
successful relationship, but it takes more than wishful thinking,
it takes intentional investment. One of the ways to fulfill
this in a mentoring relationship is through the “Mentoring
Contract.”
The contract helps make this an intentional process and
not just a haphazard one, and begins with the defining of
roles and expectations There are four parts to a mentoring
contract:
1) Objectives
2) Schedule
3) Format
4) Evaluation Process
The objectives define what both parties want to achieve
through the mentoring relationship. The objectives need to
be mutually agreed upon by the mentor and mentee because
each individual brings different expectations to the rela-
tionship. These objectives should be the focus of the first
scheduled meeting.
The second part of the contract is the schedule. By holding
regularly scheduled meetings, we express commitment
to the process. The schedule should be mutually agreed
upon by both parties. Mentor meetings should take place
away from the workplace. If they are pursued within the
walls of the workplace, constant interruptions will provide
distractions from the process. Finding time in our busy
schedules is difficult, but a necessity. One way is to schedule
the mentoring meeting around a meal. Breakfast meetings
might work well for some while others enjoy meeting during
lunch or after work. The important aspect is not when we
meet, but that we are meeting on a regular basis. Postponed
meetings are common and can be the death to this
relationship.
In the beginning, the investment of time is greater and
more frequent. The first mentoring meeting should be at
least 2–3 hours in length. This meeting is to discuss the
objectives, scheduling time, and format. Recommendations
include: investing one to two hours each week for the first
month of the relationship, one to two hours on a biweekly
basis in the second and third month,and at least once
monthly for two hours in the
4th, 5th, and 6th month. Before
a transition in schedule occurs,
the mentor and mentee should
discuss their needs. Many
There are four parts
to a mentoring contract:
times the relationship requires
maintenance and renegotiation
of the schedule. Flexibility is
important, so intention can be
maintained.
Another key part of the mentoring
contract is the format.
One of the common concerns is
what to discuss for long periods
of time. In the beginning of the
relationship, most of the effort
is about getting to know each other. As the individuals work
together, the conversations are shaped by client and staff
interactions, clinical cases, financial aspects of the job, projects,
recommendations for individual improvement, and the
development of specific technical skill. As trust and mutual
respect are reinforced through this mentor/mentee relationship,
deeper discussions that are focused on personal and
professional attributes can be initiated. It is important to
remember each mentor/mentee relationship is different. Encouraging
mutual respect and trust is important in developing
rapport by both parties.
Critical evaluation is the final part of the mentoring
contract and is important in building a relationship by mentors
and mentees. Both should ask themselves if they are
mutually receiving what they were expecting. This relationship,
if properly developed, will last for years. The mentoring
relationship doesn’t have to end when there is a professional
separation or redirection. I have had the great fortune to ask
advice and receive great counsel from mentors whom I no
longer see on a regular basis. Sometimes they give the best
advice because they have the least amount at stake.
By using this simple contract format and ensuring that expectations
are understood, a relationship based on respect,
trust, and regular communication is fostered. Both the mentor
and the mentee will develop professional skills that last a
lifetime.
1) Objectives
2) Schedule
3) Format
4) Evaluation Process
CVM Today • Summer 2010 • 19