I am also part of a formal mentoring program being a mentor to medical students. I was ill-prepared and had very vague 'training' on how to be a mentor. I used to think of mentoring as more of coaching. Now, i am a bit wiser after 2 cycles in the mentoring program. As a mentor , we have to 'wear several hats' to guide your mentees. It's not just about their performance as a student, or making sure that they are able to cope with the challenges of medical school and training. We guide them in discovering their path in life and in their career choices and we are part in shaping their values and aspirations. A big , serious task for mentors that require a lot patience, dedication, wisdom and mentoring skills.
Very true, mentoring as vague personal perception was more of a non-academic coaching to help the students stay on track in med school? Now, I don't know whether we were coaches, mentors or both?
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Coaching is part of mentoring. We do wear several hats while mentoring our mentees.
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