Mentoring of Postdoctoral Staff: Medicine

The Mentoring Programme provides all postdoctoral staff in the School of Medicine access to a mentor, who acts as an independent source of career advice and support to complement that already provided through the normal process of research supervision. The programme was started in 2005/6 by Dr Geraldine Clough whilst she was chair of WiSET

Key benefits of the Programme include:

For Mentees:

  • Encourages and empowers personal development
  • Helps identify and correct gaps in generic skills and knowledge
  • Increases confidence
  • Develops and maintains a broader perspective on career options and opportunities
  • Defines, and helps to achieve career goals
  • Provides additional access to a senior role model
  • Provides insight into University culture.

For Mentors:

  • Recognised involvement in a programme of strategic importance to the School
  • New perspectives and insight into the School
  • Potential for networking
  • Additional experience in staff management and development
  • Opportunity for self reflection, and personal satisfaction

For the School:

  • Improved academic performance through staff development
  • Cements postdoctoral relationship with The School
  • Better communication between individuals/groups/divisions
  • Reinforces The School's commitment to learning and development
  • Creates breeding ground for fresh ideas and innovations
  • Enhancement of the School's reputation through improved career destinations of it's postdoctoral research staff

Selection and training of Mentors: Mentors are members of academic staff who have the experience and commitment to aid the personal development of their mentee(s). All mentors undergo training and have access to additional information and support from the Post Doctoral Association and School Research Office as required.

Mentoring Commitment: Successful mentoring requires that all prospective mentors make a three-part commitment.

  • To attend a short mentoring workshop
  • To contract to a mentoring relationship that will last for 12 months or more
  • To meet with their mentee face to face or to talk by phone at regular intervals, (initially 6-10 weeks apart), in order to establish the relationship. The nature, content and future frequency of meetings will be determined by the needs of the mentee

Matching: Appropriate matching is crucial to the success of the mentoring process. The most effective process will continue to be identified by the Mentoring Steering Group, and will be subject to ongoing evaluation and review. The details provided by the mentor of their interests/skills will be used to inform this process. Wherever possible, mentees will be giving a choice of mentors. As Mentors will be from outside the mentee's direct working environment, this choice will be supported by the Divisional Postdoctoral Representatives or other colleagues.

Evaluation of the mentoring process will identify any partnerships that are unsuccessful, so that alternative mentors can be provided.

For further details please contact Dr Geraldine Clough, Email: gfc1@soton.ac.uk.