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Mentoring Initiative

The HPEU and HRRU have embarked on an ambitious plan to develop and implement mentoring for all faculty. There are anecdotal examples of successful mentor/mentee relationships in the FMS, and recent structured research mentoring at UWISON initiated by the HRRU. However, the goal should be equity in opportunities for all junior faculty in the FMS to enhance their academic development. We anticipate that all professors and tenured senior lecturers will be eligible to serve as Faculty Mentors and facilitate mentoring of junior faculty (including senior lecturers). The ultimate expectation is that all junior faculty can be paired with a Faculty Mentor of their choice. We anticipate that Faculty mentors will provide guidance and optimize the development of their mentees’ research, teaching skills, administrative service and professional collaborations (local, regional and international service), and career management. In the future, awards for excellence in mentoring will be established to recognize the importance of mentoring for FMS Mona faculty career development. 

We also aim to identify mentors from the region and internationally to expand the pool of mentors and opportunities for junior faculty.

Overall Aim

Mentoring is a critical component of career advancement for academic faculty. It is considered a multifaceted collaboration between a junior and senior professional with the primary goal being the nurturing of the junior professional’s development.

Through mentoring, we aim to promote and encourage overall academic excellence among faculty in the FMS, Mona.

All FMS faculty members should feel supported in their pursuit of a satisfying and successful career.

The Faculty Mentoring Initiative (FMI) is envisioned to be a programme of excellence for mentoring in the health sciences.  The FMI will be a collaboration between the Health Professions Education Unit (HPEU), Director Prof Russell Pierre and the Health Research Resource Unit (HRRU being transformed to the Translational Research Unit), Director and Deputy Dean Research Prof Marvin Reid.

Programme Objectives
  • To provide junior faculty mentees with a career mentor (for academic guidance and direction)
  •  Support and facilitate faculty career development through mentor/mentee pairs
  •  Develop and implement a comprehensive mentoring curriculum to enhance mentor/mentee competencies at FMS, Mona
  •  Build a culture of mentoring and collaboration among faculty of FMS
  •  Build a mentoring database of processes and outcomes to support and evaluate mentoring activities
  •  Provide a strong central structure, resources, and leadership to support faculty mentoring at FMS, Mona
Faculty Mentoring at FMS, Mona

The initiative is being designed so that mentees are empowered to choose their mentors and the type of mentoring relationship they want, whether it is one-on-one or group.

Working in partnership or as a group, mentees and mentors can set goals, timeframes, and parameters for how their relationship will work.

The approach:

  • is goal orientated.
  • encourages various types of mentoring.
  • sets relationship timeframes.
  • identifies key skills for mentees and mentors.
  • provides frameworks, checklists, and reflection exercises.
Benefits to mentoring

Mentee

Benefits to mentees include development of their teaching practice and/or research, career advancement, professional support, and increased confidence through guidance and feedback from experienced practitioners. Specifically, a mentoring relationship will support the mentee in both defining and pursuing their goals, expanding their perspectives and strengthening self-development plans. A mentoring relationship supports motivation and work satisfaction for both mentees and mentors (Johnson & Ridley, 2004; Long, 1997; Rolfe-Felt, 2002).

Mentor

Mentors benefit from the development of skills (e.g., interpersonal, leadership), acquiring experience which can be used as evidence for promotion/awards applications and increased personal satisfaction and growth. Mentoring relationships make an imperative contribution to the support of new academics, with research studies on mentoring programs in both academia and private organisations showing that mentors gain new perspectives on ideas and issues, increased self-awareness and personal growth through sharing their knowledge with new academics (Johnson & Ridley, 2004; Long, 1997; Rolfe-Felt, 2002).

University

Mentoring programs help to create an environment that fosters personal and professional growth through the sharing of skills, attitudes and behaviours. Mentoring also enhances staff performance, which, in turn, can accelerate processes for the identification, development and retention of talent, and an enriched learning culture amongst staff within the university (Long, 1997).

 

Framework

Become an academic mentor

  • In the current pilot phase, the following will be the criteria:
  • Professor; or a Tenured Senior Lecturer
  • Committed to mentoring your mentee for at least 1 academic year
  • Commit to three meetings (at least) with mentee:

  1. initial meeting to set out clear objectives for the mentor-mentee relationship (August/September)

  2. mid-academic year evaluation (December/January)

  3. end of academic year evaluation (June/July)

  • Sign NDA (non-disclosure agreement)

 

Mentee

  • Junior faculty (up to level of Senior Lecturer)
  • Opt in process – identify potential mentor and communicate interest
  • Commit to at least three meetings with mentor:

  1. initial meeting to set out clear objectives for the mentor-mentee relationship (August/September)

  2. mid-academic year evaluation (December/January)

  3. end of academic year evaluation (June/July)

  • Sign NDA (non-disclosure agreement)

 

Checklists

  • Mentor-mentee Objectives
  • Progress Evaluation: mid- and end of academic year
  • Evaluation of FMI (by mentor and mentee)
  • Outcome evaluation (faculty development, publications, scholarly activity, promotions, professional activities)
Mentors

List of Mentors (2021-2022)

 

Department Name

123 Cross Way,
Kingston 7
Tel: (876) 999-9999
Fax: (876) 888-8888
department@uwimona.edu.jm
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