Guidelines & Tips

General Guidelines  

This plan outlines a general framework. Both mentors and mentees should actively participate in shaping the specific activities and timelines that best suit their individual needs and goals.  

Key Considerations:  

Flexibility: This plan is an outline and should be adapted to your specific needs and goals. 

Communication: Regular and open communication is crucial for a successful mentorship. 

Mutual Respect: Both mentors and mentees should approach the relationship with mutual respect and a commitment to learning and growth. 

Confidentiality: Maintain confidentiality regarding sensitive information shared during mentorship sessions.  

Initial Meeting and Goal Setting  

Work with your mentor/mentee to arrange your meetings and set expectations

  • Relationships typically last about six months but you are free to talk more frequently depending upon your schedules and needs.  
  • Meetings typically take place once a month for about 30-60 minutes but even brief phone calls or e-mail exchanges can make a big difference.
  • Discuss and set communication methods and schedule.
  • Develop a plan – share career journeys, goals, areas for improvement and what you are looking for - career planning, working through a particularly challenging issue, or simply finding a role model
    • What do you both wish to get out of the mentorship?
  • Network – connect on MyAHE and share relevant contacts within network that may help with goals. 

Developing Relationship 

  • Follow up/track progress on goals with each call. Discuss challenges, lessons learned, and achievements. 
  • Provide constructive feedback, support and guidance.  
  • Adjust goals as needed 
  • If timing allows, attend a Conversation Circle together allowing for further discussion and connections with peers. 

FUTURE PLANNING

  • Discuss progress on goal and long-term plan for maintaining goals 
  • Develop a plan for maintaining contact and leveraging the mentorship experience in the future. 
  • Potential ongoing support mechanisms (e.g., occasional check-ins, introductions to other professionals) 

TIPS

- If you have at least 5 years of EVS experience, you should be able to assist a peer who is newer to the job. In many ways a closer gap in experience is beneficial because you can still remember some of the same things they might be experiencing. The best match for a mentee is not always the person with the most years’ experience or highest level title, it’s someone who can relate to the person and help them move their career forward. Once you do find a match, click on that member's name, the link will bring you to their profile page. Look around. If you think it's a good match, look under their profile image for the Mentor Match badge, which when clicked will allow you to request a connection. 

 -You can be both a mentor and a mentee. Just go in and complete both forms and you can be set up for both. If done right, the experience on both sides can be a benefit to everyone. I would like to sign up to be mentored, but I am so new to the field I worry about where to start. The mentoring program is designed to help all levels of experience in the healthcare supply chain field. Your level of experience will be matched appropriately to a mentor so that if you are new to EVS, you are matched with someone with more experience, but not so much that they can’t relate to your situations.