Search Results: mentor
Mentorship Governs Your Relationship with Research
By: Ambreen Deol What decides whether you fall in love with research or avoid it altogether as your career takes shape? Your capabilities and academic rigor? Partly. But the real governing factor, especially when you're starting out, is mentorship. During my nearly six years of medical school in India, I got almost zero exposure to research. We crammed theory, regurgitated it onto exam papers, and rotated through wards. Research wasn't part of the curriculum, and no one really talked about it. When reading through a textbook, questions would pop into my head. Has anyone tried this? What if we did it this way? How do we know how this works? I'd just sit with the question, because I didn't know I could simply look something up. I had no clue what PubMed was. In most Indian medical colleges, the focus is overwhelmingly clinical, not academic. The advice that wasn't actionable...
We Plant Surgical Flowers When We Choose Joy and Mentorship in Challenging Times
Author: Dr. Christine Castater This is a special edition blog post presented in partnership with the Society of Black Academic Surgeons in celebration of Black History Month. It is both easy and reflexive to wake up in the morning by focusing on the weight of the socio-political climate pressing down on us. The news cycle moves fast. The commentary is loud. Social media is everywhere. The divisions feel deep. As surgeons and trainees, we are not immune to all of this because we live in it, we train in it, and we lead in it. I want to offer a different viewpoint. What if, instead of orienting ourselves around what feels broken, we orient ourselves around what is extraordinary? We are living and working in a time when technology makes it possible to share knowledge instantly across continents. We can increasingly use artificial intelligence (AI) to guide learning, workup, and...
What Surgeons Can Learn from Greek Myth: A More Effective Mentorship Model
by Taylor Corsi, MD; Elise Presser, MD In Homer’s The Odyssey, Athena – protectress and goddess of wisdom, practical reason, handicraft, and war strategy – disguises herself as Mentor, a counselor who guides Telemachus in his journey to find his father and restore the kingdom of Ithaca. This story has framed the modern conception of mentorship as an intergenerational relationship between mentor and mentee that benefits the mentee’s growth and accomplishment of stated goals. While the importance of mentorship is clear in the story, the perception of how mentorship is best achieved is worth reinvestigating. Upon closer inspection of our beloved Greek myth, Athena’s wisdom was provided not merely from her form as Mentor. Importantly, Athena also disguised herself as a shepherd and the daughter of a ship captain. While many scholars have classically attributed Telemachus’ success to Mentor’s guidance alone, Athena advises a diverse network of figures who contribute...
The Power of Social Media for Premedical and Medical Mentorship
By Ashley Cianchini In Medicine, mentors become the most important asset to thrive. The mentors we make along the way provide the most powerful insight on experiences they lived to keep us focused and motivated. Students without mentors often feel lost and have difficulty persevering through the biggest challenges in Medicine. Sadly, the traditional mentorship experience through shadowing, physician family members, or undergraduate experiences may often be inaccessible for some students, specifically underrepresented minorities and first-generation students. These students often become the first in their families to graduate high school or college. The dream of becoming a physician can feel extremely unachievable. Only 5.8% of the physicians in the United States are Latino, and only 5% are Black. This creates barriers for students with similar backgrounds, who struggle to identify with other physicians. Coming from a small school in the middle of Puerto Rico, it was difficult for me to...
Optimizing Your 3rd and 4th Years of Medical School: Resources for Networking, Mentorships, and Continuing Research
By Kayla Martinez, MS4 Approaching the final years of medical school is a paradox of fulfillment and stress. While students eagerly anticipate the conclusion of their academic journey, the looming task of applying for residency introduces a new layer of reality and pressure. Third and fourth years of medical school are opportunities to further your career by networking, finding mentors, and continuing research. Drawing from my experience as a current general surgery applicant, I have curated valuable resources that I believe can greatly assist prospective applicants navigating the uncertainties of what steps to take next. Networking: Networking provides access to various opportunities, such as research collaborations, clinical experiences, and mentorship. Building a network allows medical students to connect with professionals who can offer valuable insights and guidance. Attempt to make strong connections with residents and attendings in your specialty of choice. For example, if you connect or bond with a...
From Sewing Circles to Mentorship Triangles
By: Morgan Hopp, Anjna Kalya and Lily Foster During the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college, I completed an internship with a private practice plastic surgeon. I learned about surgery, operating rooms, staff interactions, and the inner workings of a private practice. More importantly, I solidified my understanding of mentorship. The experienced and compassionate office manager’s circuitous life provided many memorable conversations about relationships, especially with a mentor. She believed that a woman's strength and ensuing success was instilled from the support of other women in their lives. As she pointed out, prior generations had sewing circles that provided three types of women to support the next generation’s values and future: an older woman to give her wisdom and perspective, a woman her own age to give her belonging in the current stage of life, and a younger woman to observe her own growth and contributions to...
Mentorship in Neurosurgery from the Lens of a Black Muslim Medical Student
By Habiba Abdullahi Neurosurgery was something I chose quite early on in life. For many people, something or someone was the reason they chose neurosurgery. For me, it was after reading ‘Gifted Hands’ by Dr. Ben Carson. I was barely 12 then but I decided within me that I would pursue neurosurgery. I was in awe throughout reading the book. 12-year-old me had no idea how the journey would be and all the steps I would need to take to eventually reach my goal. All I knew was I had a dream and I was going to protect and achieve that dream, no matter how long it takes. I kept this dream to myself and never publicly expressed my plan to pursue Neurosurgery till my late teens. It was in grade 11 of high school that I began to publicly express my wish to pursue neurosurgery. I remember a friend,...
The Many Forms of Mentorship
By Hope Feldman and Rebecca Hoffman A mentor is defined in the dictionary as “an experienced and trusted advisor.” This may be an accurate definition, but it is rather vague. It does not begin to address the many shapes and forms that a relationship between mentor and mentee can take. It comes as no surprise then that I was recently asked by someone on Twitter how one goes about finding a mentor. How can someone find a person to fill such an ill-defined role? I have been very fortunate that in my almost eight years of medical training, I have found several individuals who I would describe as my mentors. Mentor A: This individual is a phenomenal surgeon. I admire her work ethic and her commitment to patient care. Her office door is always open if I have a question about work or life. She recognizes my potential and encourages...
A Practical Guide to Establishing Mentors as a Virtual Medical Student
By Shan S. Lansing 2020 was the year for virtual medical education. Preclinical students would jest that they were attending Zoom School of Medicine, and whole cohorts of new medical students were inducted with virtual white coat ceremonies. Though video platforms made it possible for clubs and interest group meetings to continue, the free pizza and casual networking was replaced with gentle encouragement to go ahead and turn your camera on, if you’re comfortable. Beginning a career in medicine is daunting, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has only served to add new challenges to the already formidable tasks involved with beginning medical school, developing a support network, and creating meaningful relationships with mentors. I have heard from many preclinical medical students that the transition to virtual events has made it challenging to network and connect with surgeons. With that in mind, here are a few practical tips for establishing relationships...
Mentorship: How to provide it, how to obtain it
By Ashley Meagher, MD, MPH, FACS Mentorship is one of the most important facets of medicine. We rely on mentors to guide us in medical school, as we choose a specialty. In residency, we are frequently assigned a faculty mentor as well as a “peer” mentor (a more senior resident) to help guide sub-specialty selection, navigate residency issues, or even advise on research projects. Mentorship continues as we exit residency and take on fellowship or faculty positions. Most of us have experiences in which the mentorship relationship can best be described as “non-therapeutic”. Mentorship and menteeship is a relationship that requires effort and commitment from both parties. To maximize the relationship, it is best to start by laying some ground rules. “What do you/I hope to obtain from this relationship?” “What time do you/I have to commit to this relationship?” It can be helpful to answer these questions during the...
