Transcript The Good Mentor - Johns Hopkins Medicine

The Importance of
Mentor/Mentee Relationships
Julie Ann Freischlag, MD
The William Stewart Halsted Professor
Chair, Department of Surgery
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
“We cannot live for ourselves
alone. Our lives are
connected by a thousand
invisible threads, and along
these sympathetic fibers,
our actions run as causes
and return to us as results”
Herman Melville
“The mentor’s spirit is the
heart’s posture pervading
every healthy relationship
in every family,
classroom, organization
and town.”
Marsha Sinetar
MENTORING THE STUDENT
“ Learners acquire problem solving
approaches, technical skills, clinical
judgment and professional attitudes
from observing others.”
Bandura 1988
Both being
mentored and
mentoring are
active, growthful
experiences.
A GOOD MENTOR
Authentic dialogue promotes mature selfgoverning work teams who “walk the talk”
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sound judgment
independent thinking
a tendency to think divergently
good humor
definite purpose
moral elevation and reliability
fidelity
honorable interpersonal proclivities
How to Mentor Students
1. Affirm being a physician/scientist and its further
potential
2. Be genuine and emotionally available to enter
into a dialogue about being a physician/scientist
3. Set clear boundaries - list the good and bad of the
specialty
4. Enlist others with whom the student can talk for
specific reasons - (specialty, gender, race,
location, family issues, background, etc.)
How To Mentor Students (cont.)
5. Share the values and virtues of your specialty (the
good, the bad and the ugly)
6. Stabilize the students’ doubts and uncertaintiesit’s OK not to know
7. Be available more than once- in person, email, by
phone.
8. Congratulate them on a good job of figuring it out.
A MENTOR is a person, a guide, or a
teacher - the keeper of selective
wisdoms.
The MENTOR’S SPIRIT is the “almost
anything” that deepens our sense of the
sacred or our understanding or
transmits a kind of gladness about life
itself.
There is but one Spirit - one good, infinite,
intelligent and unbounded permeating
reality.
Mentors are:
GUIDES
VIRTUOUS
TRUSTING AND TRUSTWORTHY
PEOPLE LOVERS
EMPATHETIC
NON JUDGMENTAL
AUTHENTIC
HOW TO BE A MENTOR’S MENTOR:
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Let Go of Your Expectations
Put Things in Perspective
Set A Good Example
Agree to Disagree
Make Light of Being Overwhelmed
Keep Your Promises
Forgive Your Outbursts
Set A Positive Emotional Climate
Learn From Children - they live in the moment.
Live From Your Heart
We need to recognize that
diversity – managing and
leading across differences – is
not an initiative or a program; it
should be a competency that
anyone who manages people
must learn if he or she is to be an
effective leader.
Model the
behavior you
are asking of
others
Mentoring and its importance in the
education and training of science
professionals
•Relationships between mentors and their trainees
prepare the next generation of science professionals.
•Both the mentor and the trainee have responsibilities
for the success of the process.
•Need to assure fair access to mentors and the impact
of a lack of mentoring on women and minorities.
Banquet speech, Rosalyn Yallor, 1977
The Complexity of the Role of Mentoring
•A mentor has experience with the challenges that
trainees face.
•A mentor has the ability to communicate that
experience and the willingness to do so.
•A mentor takes a special interest in helping another
person develop into a successful professional.
NAS, 1997 Washington, DC
National Academy Press
Socialization
•Acquiring the norms and standards, the values and
attitudes, as well as the knowledge, skills and
behavior patterns associated with particular
statuses and roles
•The process through which people are inducted into
a culture or subculture
•Demanding standards of work
H. Zuckerman, 1977
New York, NY; Free Press
Truly Complete Mentor
Serves as an advisor/guide, developer of
talent/coach, opener of doors/advocate, role
model, interpreter of organizational or
professional rules, protector, rule
setter/boss and carries on all of these
functions on a long term basis
W. Silen, MD
Dean for Faculty Development and Diversity/Harvard
Medical School, 1998
Wide Range of Needs to be Met
• Should help trainees develop as capable
researchers (methods, directions, creative
thinking, completing academic or professional
requirements and scientific communication)
• Prepare for job market (opportunities,
contacts, range of career options and which
grants to apply for)
Wide Range of Needs to be Met
• Socialization – ethical development, interaction
within the academic community and instilling a
sense of collegiality (teaching, communications,
working in teams, leadership, people management,
administration and budgets)
• Should be an advocate
Mentoring on Ethics and Responsible
Conduct of Research
• Can occur through example, impromptu counsel or
exchange of thoughts and ideas (small group)
• Must monitor the supervision and training of young
scientists to be sure they “get it” (large labs)
• Must adhere to value system of their institutions
Panel on Scientific
Responsibility and Conduct of Research
1992
The Ethics of Mentoring
• Should not spend so much time working on mentor’s
research that there is little time for their own
• Should not be pushed to do work towards a patent or
mentor’s financial gain
• Should not have constraints on publication
• Should not disengage or undermine or compete
Jonathan R. Cole
The Research University in a Time of Discontent
The Responsibility to Mentor Minorities
and Women
•Whites and men traditionally more likely to
have a mentor
•Have been excluded from the socialization
•Collaboration is key
Mary Frank Fox
The Outer Circle, 1996
Responsibilities of Trainees
1. Identify career plans
2. Locate prospective mentors
3. Distinguish between supervisors and
mentors
4. Be clear about needs and expectations
5. Keep learning about effective mentoring
Responsibilities of Mentors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Should be part of the definition of a scientist
Be available
Allow for differences in personalities
Let trainees make their own decisions
Teach by words and example
Keep learning about effective mentoring
The Good Mentor
James B. Rowley
Supporting New Teachers
May, 1999 Volume 56 Number 8
Pages 20-22
The Good Mentor
1. The good mentor is committed to the role of
mentoring.
2. The good mentor is accepting of the beginning
teacher.
3. The good mentor is skilled at providing
instructional support.
4. The good mentor is effective in different
interpersonal contexts.
5. The good mentor is a model of continuous
learning.
6. The good mentor communicates hope and
optimism.
The effects of the mentor
on the academic career
Scientometrics Volume 7,
Numbers 3-6, 255-80, 2005
The effects of the mentor
on the academic career
•The influence of the mentor begins with
collaboration.
•Collaboration increases student’s
productivity and academic placement .
•Collaboration increases student’s later
publications and citations.
Mentoring and Research Misconduct: An
Analysis of ORI Closed Cases
David E. Wright, Jered B. Cornelison,
and Sandra L. Titus
Michigan State University
Mentoring/Misconduct
1. Literature on mentoring originated in
1980’s
2. In the 80’s, research misconduct came to
national attention
3. USA research misconduct regulations took
effect 1989-1991
Motion to Mentor
“ It is therefore incumbent on all scientists and
scientific institutions to create and nurture a
research environment that promotes high
ethical standards, contributes to ongoing
professional development, and preserves
public confidence in the scientific enterprise.”
NAS, 2002
Mentoring is Highly Complex
•Develop technical competence
•Develop critical thinking skills
•Encourage intellectual initiative
•Socialize advisees into the culture of their
disciplines
Margaret King
“On the Right Track:
A Manual for Research Mentors,” 2003
Mentoring is Highly Complex
• Articulating and modeling ethical norms of
responsible and rigorous research including
appropriate use of human and animal subjects
• Citing appropriate source material and prior
publication
• Allocating authorship fairly in joint publications
• Submission and review of publications ethically
• Recognizing and avoiding conflicts of interest
• Generation, recording and using data responsibly
Why Does Research Misconduct Occur?
Theories:
•Pressure for professional survival
•Sociopathology: 1-2% of every profession
•Ignorance of standards and ethical codes
•Failure of mentoring/supervision of trainees
Did inadequate mentoring contribute to/fail
to prevent misconduct?
What would constitute inadequate
mentoring?
• Failure to review trainee raw data at regular
intervals for reasons including:
– Absentee mentor due to other academic
pressures
– Mentor trust of the trainee
What would constitute inadequate
mentoring?
• Failure to establish clear standards for:
– Keeping lab books
– Managing and retaining data
– Authorship
What would constitute inadequate
mentoring?
• Failure to adequately support trainee
career development
– Unsupportive work environment for trainees
– Undue pressure to produce results quickly
– Unreasonable expectations as to productivity
Findings at Michigan State
• Trainees are more likely to be found guilty of
misconduct if charged.
• The consequence of a finding of misconduct by
a trainee is severe.
• Trainees from abroad, especially if English is a
second language ,appear to be at increased
risk.
Findings at Michigan State
• Trainees are more likely to commit
misconduct when mentors are absent or
unobservant.
• Misconduct is more likely to occur when the
trainee reports feeling of “pressure” or
“stress.”
Findings at Michigan State
• Misconduct is most likely to occur at “critical
moments” in a trainee’s career
– When a deadline looms
– When results of an important earlier experiment
can’t be replicated
– When trainee is preparing to leave the lab for
another position
Findings at Michigan State
When is misconduct discovered?
Fail to reproduce results
Data missing
Fail to reproduce results
and data missing
Witnessed or became suspicious
Not applicable
Can’t tell
35.7%
9.5%
7.1%
35.7%
4.8%
7.1%
Findings at Michigan State
Did the mentor fail to review raw data, lab books,
etc?
YES
NO
Can’t tell
52.3%
31.8%
15.97%
Mentoring More Challenging Today
• Large, Interdisciplinary Research Groups
– The mentor may not know all the areas of science
and has to rely on others to teach and supervise
trainees.
– The mentor may have to “farm out” to others part
of the research which s/he cannot personally
oversee.
Mentoring More Challenging
Technology – Driven Changes
• The move to computer - stored research data and
smart laboratory instruments may have lessened the
emphasis on individual trainee responsibility for
keeping lab notebooks and other rigorous records.
• Computer – stored research data is comparatively
easy to fabricate and to falsify.
• Computer –generated summary data and analysis
often substituted for review instead of raw data in
discussions between mentor and trainee.
Mentoring More Challenging
Technology – Driven Changes (Cont’d)
• Whereas once trainees had to show mentor raw
data in the form of films to get authorization to
take them to photography department for
printing for reports, manuscripts and grant
applications; now the trainees can do the same
thing on desktop computers with programs like
Photoshop.
• It is comparatively easy to fabricate and falsify
images using these programs.
Michigan State Implications for Faculty
and Institutions
• Standard procedures for review of trainee
raw data at regular intervals and,
• Standard procedures for replication of key
trainee experiment before submitting data,
and
• Attentive supervision during periods of
trainee stress……
Might have prevented many instances of
misconduct.
“ A candle loses
nothing of its light by
lighting another
candle”
James Keller
“ A civilization flourishes when people
plant trees under whose shade they
will never sit”
Greek proverbs
PANEL DISCUSSION
• Julie Freischlag, MD
• Justin McArthur, MBBS, MPH
• Robert Montgomery, MD, PhD
• Sheila Garrity, JD, MPH, MBA - Moderator