Mentoring Program Framework

A mentor is a wise and trusted counselor and teacher. Everybody needs one.
(Management Decisions, 29(2). 1991)

Intent:

The mentoring programs developed within the AAPS seek to provide the necessary knowledge, skills, encouragement, and guidance to assist in the achievement of the mentee's professional goals. These programs seek to establish partnerships, whether long or short term, which contribute to the development of each member's potential to be a full participant in the organization.

Initiation:

Mentoring programs, as defined in this document, cover a broad range of formats - from one time exchanges between small groups of mentors and mentees to long term relationships between individuals. Each program, while unique in its design, should have well defined objectives, identification of the individuals responsible for program planning and management, a specified target population, prescribed roles for both mentors and mentees, timelines for completion of mentor/mentee interactions, and a system for assessment of the program's success. Each of these components is described in more detail below to assist in the development of these programs.

Objectives: The program coordinators should define the desired outcomes of the mentoring interaction. While not meant to be inclusive, it is likely that the mentoring program will accomplish at least one of the following four functions:

1. Assisting the member in becoming involved in the volunteer activities of AAPS.
2. Assisting the member in the planning and initiation of their career as a pharmaceutical scientist.
3. Assisting the member in their professional development and desires related to short term needs
4. Assisting the member in their long term professional development

Responsibility: The individuals responsible for planning and carrying out the mentoring program should be clearly identified If the program is intended to span multiple years or to recur on an annual basis, specific details regarding the succession or appointment of planners and managers should be included. In an effort to provide increased opportunities for member participation, the planners are strongly encouraged to define, in detail, individual tasks necessary to carry out the program and to seek out a separate volunteer to accomplish each of those tasks. The planners should also identify the amount of staff support required from the AAPS to carry out the program in order to enable the association staff to respond in an efficient and timely manner when requested for program assistance.

Target Population: Since the AAPS membership is quite diverse, it is unlikely that a single program will meet the needs of every member. Therefore, each mentoring program should define the characteristics of the potential mentees that it is attempting to assist. Characteristics of qualified mentors should also be defined. In addition, methods that will be used to inform and recruit sufficient numbers of mentees and mentors should also be identified.

Roles: In order for any mentoring experience to be successful, both the mentor and mentee must have a clear understanding of their role in the relationship. These roles should be communicated to the participants during their recruitment and additional measures should be taken to assure that there is agreement about the particular roles of each participant prior to the intimation of the mentoring relationship. Common roles for both mentors and mentees are listed below:

Mentors:

• Are willing to invest time in self and others
• Are accessible and open to others
• Are able to share experiences with others
• Practices tolerance
• Helps a person direct his/her mental context
• Listens and does not preach or lecture
• Identifies mentee feelings and validates them
• Effectively confronts negative intentions or behaviors
• Provides appropriate information when needed
• Encourages the exploration of options

Mentees:

• Are open to the mentors comments
• Have realistic expectations of the mentoring relationship
• Are clear about expectations and outcomes
• Accept mentoring relationship with "no strings attached", i.e. no employment expectations
• Are able to express dilemmas, feelings, emotions
• Are able to listen
• Are capable of self-examination
• Have the courage to try out new behaviors, patterns

If the mentoring experience is intended to be ongoing between the mentor and mentee, the individuals should define their roles and expectations at the beginning of their interaction so that no misunderstandings can occur.

Timeframe: Milestones for the mentoring experience should be defined so that the participants can gauge whether they are progressing in the program. For example, it is recommended that the mentor take the responsibility to schedule the first few meetings, whether they be in person or via another means of communication. During these initial discussions, the mentor and mentees should discuss their expectations and define their roles. They should also agree on the type and frequency of future interactions. If the program cannot identify general milestones for all of the participants to meet, each mentoring pair should set their own. Each pair should also define completion criteria to allow for the termination of the mentoring agreement upon the accomplishment of the intended goals or to enable the participants to redefine or expand their initial goals at any time.

Assessment: The program coordinators need to establish a mechanism to measure the success of the program and to gather input regarding possible improvements. While the mechanism does not need to be explicitly described at the initiation of the program, the type of assessment that is intended to be used should be defined (e.g. questionnaire for participants, personal contact, log book, etc.)

Funding (for Committee Only): If the initiation of the mentoring program requires funding from AAPS or any of its sections, a budget for 1 year's operating expenses should be developed. Every effort should be made to assign reasonable costs to the program. These costs could include mailing/printing/shipping, phone charges, meal and travel expenses (if any), etc.

Prior to the initiation of program development, the program coordinators are encouraged to communicate with the Director of Membership for suggestions regarding the proposed program. All information regarding the establishment of the program, ongoing evaluations, and final summaries of its success should also be directed to the Director of Membership, along with other appropriate parties. The Director of Membership will maintain an information resource regarding past, current, and proposed mentoring programs to assist the association and its members in designing and implementing future programs.