This paper describes the experience of mentoring at a graduate level and the broader benefits of the relationship to the participants. Interpretation of the experience was achieved through conducting semi-structured interviews, generating patterns and then discusssing and analysing the findings from the experience. Five MPhil/PhD students and two supervisors participated in the study. Seven semi-structured interviews were used to explore the experiences of participants—two of whom were supervisors, while five were graduate students. The data were analyzed by identifying themes.

There are misconceptions in some quarters that tools used by medical doctors are solely mechanical, and that if students who pursue studies in Medical Sciences obtain mastery in the process of elimination and apply this to their multiple-choice examinations they are likely to succeed. However, these are limited views of such professionals and students. In order to be successful, practising and prospective medical doctors, like their counterparts in different fields, utilize other tools in their professional, academic and private endeavours. One such tool is writing.