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Editorial IGR 12-2
From the Chief Editor
Selecting a Mentor
R.N. Weinreb, MD, La Jolla, CA
I picked up the telephone several weeks ago and an assistant asked if I would
like to speak with a colleague who was calling about a personal matter. I had last
seen her at a meeting a few months earlier. At the time, she had eagerly sought
advice on her analysis of results from a recently completed clinical investigation.
No sooner had I picked up the telephone than she told me that the manuscript that
described the study had been accepted for publication. She conveyed her deep gratitude
for my perfunctory advice. A bit more small talk, and then she got to what I expect
was the real reason for the call. Her Chair, she related, had abrogated his oversight
responsibilities when she sought his council. There was no one in her department,
she continued, who could be trusted to provide sage advice. She asked if I would
consider mentoring her.
There are times when each of us questions our experiences
and wonders why we do what we do and how we can do it better. A few of us,
myself included, have a proclivity for such introspection and engage often in these
activities. And so it was that this invitation to mentor a colleague stimulated
me to ponder the subject of selecting a mentor.
A mentor is one who imparts experiential wisdom or knowledge to those who have less of it. According to Greek mythology, Odysseus, the Greek king of Ithaca, left his young son, Telemachus, in the care of his wise friend Mentor when he departed to fight the Trojan War. For the duration of the conflict and Odysseus' long voyage home, the aged Mentor advised the young prince and helped him fend off his mother Penelope's legion of suitors. More than two thousand years later, the job description for a mentor is quite a bit different than it was then. But like Telemachus, each of us still can benefit from association with a mentor.
Significance of a mentor
The significance of a mentor to a career surely is underestimated. Although it
is particularly relevant to a young trainee, one can argue that each of us can benefit
from mentoring, regardless of the stage of our career. An effective mentor provides
the necessary guidance to navigate the obstacles that inevitably will be encountered.
More important, they can inspire and elevate a protégé (or mentee)to reach their
potential and beyond.
Effective mentorship is essential for career success,
particularly in assuring an uneventful transition to a career as a clinician-scientist,
scientist or clinician. Selecting the right mentor can be a challenge, and the attributes
of an 'ideal' mentor are not readily apparent to most individuals, particularly
those who are just completing their training. Given the critical value of having
an outstanding mentor, it is surprising to me how arbitrary and, often, whimsical
the process of mentor selection can be. The telephone call from my colleague piqued
my interest in identifying some qualities that might be useful to those seeking
a mentor.
Qualities of a mentor
Not all individuals are suited to be mentors, and not all mentors will be great mentors. Being an outstanding scientist or clinician does not mean that one will be an outstanding mentor. A mentor should be able to allocate sufficient time and be committed to the success of their mentee. It is best if a mentor has had demonstrated success with other mentees. In my experience with mentoring, the process works best when there is a sustained commitment over a time period not limited to one or just a few years. Therefore, a mentor should be selected carefully.
Effective mentorship
Based on their position or accomplishments, many individuals have the expectation of being an effective mentor. Instead, it seems to me that the most effective mentors are those who view it as a privilege. A longstanding tradition in medicine is to teach what has been learned, and the responsibility of teaching is at the core of mentoring. Of course, some individuals are better suited to teaching. For a young physician-scientist, a senior mentor can bring their long and diverse experience to the relationship, and can be a highly credible reference for grants, awards and professional positions. However, such an individual may have many other obligations that limit their availability. A senior mentor may be particularly aware of the vulnerability and independence of a mentee. Such an individual might be less likely to compete for first authorship on publications. Less senior mentors also may offer some advantages. They might, for example, have particular and unique clinical or research skills not found in someone more senior. A junior faculty person, as another example, may be more cognizant than a senior one that their own career development is dependent, in part, on the success of their trainees. In some cases, two mentors that bring complementary qualities to a mentor-mentee relationship may be better than one.
Benefits of a mentor
Mentors can provide guidance that improves medical or surgical skills. For a
clinician-scientist, they also can provide oversight with the planning, conduct
and ethics of research, scientific writing and grantsmanship, as well as the review
of manuscripts and grants. As a role model, it often is beneficial for a mentor
to be well-funded and have a strong record of publications.
Mentors also can
provide an entry for a protégé to the community and provide guidance and opportunities
to present at meetings. They can initiate and enhance the interaction of the mentee
with colleagues, facilitate their inclusion in major meetings and propose their
participation in professional organizations. A seasoned mentor also can advise on
prioritization of competing responsibilities, as well as provide strategic insight
and tactical options for addressing organizational politics such as occurs in departments,
hospital staffs and societies.
For those, as my colleague, who do not have a
mentor, my advice is to identify and invite one. A successful mentor will educate
and stimulate, know when to adopt and maintain a low profile, and intervene when
support or resources are needed. Association with the right mentor should have
a lifelong impact that does not end after formal training has been completed.
Robert N. Weinreb, MD
Hamilton Glaucoma Center
University of California,
San Diego
La Jolla, CA, USA book_
