Mentoring is a structured, personal development relationship where a person, normally the mentee is guided by another, the mentor. The mentor is usually more experienced and, or knowledgeable than the mentee but need not necessarily be more senior or in the same professional field.
Mentoring can take many forms, some examples are below:
Traditional – the mentoring relationship is between the mentor a person who is more senior and experienced than the mentee.
Reverse mentoring – the mentor may not be more senior but has more experience than the mentee. For example a senior researcher being mentored by a full time clinician.
Peer mentoring – mutual mentoring relationships for example two people providing support for those in challenging situations.
Cross disciplinary mentoring – the mentoring relationship is between two people from different professions or disciplines.
Group mentoring – where there are insufficient mentors to mentees so mentees are supported in a group.
Multi-mentoring – where one person may seek several mentors.
Automatic mentoring – often new-comers into organisations are matched with a mentor as early as possible.
Targeted Mentoring – this may happen for people from under-represented and marginalised groups.
Mentoring is a collaborative relationship built around ongoing learning, dialogue and questioning that helps to guide and support professional development, it is normally time limited.
Reasons for mentoring include:
There are many opportunities and schemes for mentoring below are a selection of those available to AHPs:
Please do make contact with your local regional CAHPR hub. Any AHP can join in a network. The hub networks are welcoming and will support and guide you to find a mentor.
Mentoring opportunities are for those who are ‘members’ of the NIHR academy, that is, those on existing fellowship and training programmes, full or part funded by the NIHR and or those working in the NIHR Infrastructure or Research Capacity Building Structures. (Please see link for FAQs).
More information can be found here as well as useful information about mentoring:
Frequently asked questions about the NIHR mentoring scheme can be found here:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/mentoring-programme-faq/26893
The CoDH, with support from the Burdett Trust for Nursing, launched a Student Leadership Programme to build the capacity of nursing, midwifery and allied health students in leadership, this includes a mentoring component . This initiative was initiated to develop students’ knowledge, skills and networks to enhance their leadership potential both as students and as professional practitioners. The mentoring scheme is only open to all students on the leadership programme but all students on NMAHPS courses in the UK are eligible to apply. More information can be found:
https://www.councilofdeans.org.uk/studentleadership/mentoring-on-the-student-leadership-programme/
Each of the AHP professional bodies have either formal and / or informal mentoring schemes. These schemes are open to members of the respective professional bodies. However please don’t be put off seeking a mentor from another AHP profession. The professional bodies welcome mentors from outside their professions. Contact the CAHPR research leads directly and there may well be opportunities available.
British Association of Prosthetists and Orthotists https://www.bapo.com/resources/leadership/
British Dietetic Association https://www.bda.uk.com/ .
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy https://www.csp.org.uk/professional-clinical/leadership/csp-mentoring-scheme
Institute of Osteopathy https://www.iosteopathy.org/ (members only zone)
Occupational Therapy : Elizabeth Casson Trust Mentoring – Elizabeth Casson Trust (only OTs can apply)
Royal College of Podiatrists https://rcpod.org.uk/ (members only zone)
Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy The RSLT provide lots of useful information on different aspect of leadership –open access
https://www.rcslt.org/learning/leadership-resources/
Society of Radiographers: The leadership and mentorship programmes are closely linked and also includes a leadership elective for students for 5 / 6 weeks. (FORRM, PLMS). SoR members only can apply https://www.sor.org/learning-advice/career-development/developing-tomorrows-leaders
Further providers of mentoring could include:
Education Institutions
Your employer schemes
Charities
