10 minute read
Coaching, Mentoring and Sponsorship
By: John E. Lowry, Ph.D. Director of Faculty Development CMU College of Medicine
In service-oriented organizations like healthcare and medical education, the people in the organization are the greatest asset. It can be challenging for companies to develop each of their employees to reach their full potential. Coaching and mentoring programs are gaining popularity as more evidence shows their effectiveness. Sponsors can greatly accelerate professional growth and accomplishments.
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Coaching
Coaching programs have been used in many professional settings. A coach can be someone with expertise in a particular skill. High performers in almost every field have coaches, including athletes, musicians and public speakers. Some coaches help with a very specific skill, such as golf swing coaches or baseball hitting coaches. Others provide mental coaching services to help people handle the pressure of competition. These coaches can give very detailed feedback on their performance, which is critical for making improvements. The coach does not need to be better at the skill than the performer, but rather is someone who can observe the performer and provide the right feedback and opportunities for further practice. Other examples include life coaches and career coaches, who help individuals with specific situations or challenges they face. Many physicians have benefitted from working with a coach. Some coaches help physicians develop new clinical skills or learn new medical procedures. Other coaches help physicians grow in their practices as managers and leaders. Career coaches can help physicians find ways to adapt their careers to match their evolving professional interests. Another widely-used coaching program is peer coaching. In these programs, professionals are paired with a peer in their field, and they provide mutual support for each other. A peer coach can be a listening ear and a sounding board for creative ideas. Working with a peer coach can provide opportunities for collaboration on meaningful projects. Faculty and staff at the CMU College of Medicine participate in a peer coaching program with all of the other medical schools in the state of Michigan. Being able to work with a peer from another institution provides new opportunities and perspectives.
Mentoring
In Greek mythology, Mentor was charged by Odysseus to teach his son Telemachus. A mentor is defined as a trusted counselor or guide. A mentor is usually a seasoned professional who can teach and advise someone because of the mentor’s knowledge and experience. The primary difference between a mentor and a coach is that mentoring involves a longer and more meaningful relationship. A mentor is truly invested in the person she or he mentors. There are many benefits to mentoring. Working with a mentor can be a powerful professional development tool. Junior colleagues receiving mentoring can see rapid growth early in their careers. Leaders and high-performers can be grown from within an organization. Organizations see many benefits, including lower employee turnover, and improved employee engagement and company culture. Many mentors report positive experiences as they impart their wisdom to help their colleagues grow. Mentoring can be a great experience for all who are involved. The CMU College of Medicine’s Academy of Medical Educators recently launched a mentoring program for medical faculty. Senior faculty members serve as mentors to junior colleagues in a dyad mentoring structure. In some cases, faculty are paired with someone who has similar interests and training. In other cases, faculty are paired with someone who has complementary experience, such as a physician with a particular research interest paired with a foundational science professor with research experience. While the program is just getting started, there is potential for many good experiences to come from it. Medicine and medical education provide many opportunities for mentoring. Medical faculty have the opportunity to teach and mentor medical students and residents. Experienced clinicians can mentor their junior colleagues. Mentors show support for their mentees by teaching and guiding. They help people avoid mistakes and learn from their experiences. However, good mentors also provide corrective feedback when needed, and can engage in crucial conversations which are in the best interest of the mentee. Because mentoring relationships are built on trust, mentors have a unique opportunity to positively influence the lives and careers of those with whom they work.
Sponsorship
Very few people make successful careers completely on their own. Almost everyone makes connections with others who help them along the way. Coaches and mentors can be very valuable, but sponsoring others can have even more powerful effects on others. Sponsorship is a way of accelerating the connections and accomplishments of employees by actively steering people toward opportunities and connections that will be good for their careers.
Roles and Actions of a Coach, Mentor and Sponsor
Description Goal
Who drives the relationship?
Actions Technical expert or peer Improve performance
Employee or organization
Teach skill and provide feedback Experienced colleague Provide long-term teaching and professional growth Both mentors and mentees work in the best interest of the mentee Helps with career and professional goals Senior colleague or leader Use their influence to create opportunities Sponsor
Advocates for opportunities
Coach Mentor Sponsor
A sponsor is someone with experience in an organization who takes a deep interest in helping a colleague grow. A sponsor is someone who will mention their junior colleague’s name in the right circle, or nominate them for an award, or do something else to make their accomplishments visible. A sponsor will use their influence and connections to help a colleague in their upward movement. A sponsor will open doors for opportunities that may not otherwise be available. Sponsorship sounds great, but why is it important? Junior colleagues enter a career with limited experience and a very small professional network. Many mid-career professionals may find their prospects for advancement are limited. Women and people from underrepresented minority groups sometimes get passed over for promotions or leadership roles. Employees who do good work can go unseen by others, and may not get the same chances for advancement as others. Sponsors can help by showing support for colleagues both behind the scenes, as well as, showing allyship in the important meetings where ideas are presented.
Conclusions
Coaching, mentoring and sponsorship can do many great things for individuals and organizations. Many of the top businesses and universities are using these to make the most of their people and the company. They find happier, more productive employees who are engaged at work. Diverse employee groups are supported, and employees find overall more professional satisfaction. Improved morale and low turnover can lead to significant cost savings for an organization. Professionals should consider working with a coach or finding a mentor. If you do, lean in to the experience and make the most of it. If you are an experienced professional, consider being a sponsor for a junior colleague. You can help accelerate your colleague’s growth, and your organization will benefit tremendously!
PEER REVIEW ETHICS COMMITTEE
The Saginaw County Medical Society has a Peer Review Ethics Committee (“Committee”) which is comprised of Waheed Akbar, MD – Chair, Caroline G.M. Scott, MD and James R. Hines, MD. Members of the Committee are elected by the membership. The following is the definition of the Committee pursuant to Chapter IX Conduct and Discipline of Members of the SCMS Bylaws: Section 5. PEER REVIEW ETHICS COMMITTEE. This Society shall have a standing committee designated the Peer Review Ethics Committee, charged with duties and powers concerning the maintenance of standards of conduct and discipline of members including the duties and powers specifically set forth in this chapter. Whenever any matter of alleged misconduct is referred to the Peer Review Ethics Committee, such Committee shall have the right to conduct investigations and hearings thereon, both informal and formal, and to make findings of fact and recommendations for discipline.
If you need to refer a matter to the Committee, please contact Drs. Akbar, Scott or Hines, or Joan Cramer at the Saginaw County Medical Society office. All matters are confidential and are not to be disclosed to the Board or membership.
The 2021 CMU College of Medicine and CMU Medical
Education Partners Research Symposium was a success. Students and their mentors submitted 85 abstracts from diverse disciplines. A judging panel selected eight abstracts for oral and poster presentations, with the remaining presented as posters only. Hard work and dedication were evident in the research. The Saginaw County Medical Society Foundation
once again provided the monetary awards for the
Symposium.
Poster Presentations
• First place Basic and Translational Science Poster o Nathanial Bartosek - Optimizing PAMAM Dendrimers as a Delivery of Therapeutics in Glioblastoma, mentor Dr. Julien Rossignol, CMU College of Medicine • First place Clinical Science Poster o Judy Kafelghazal - Smoking Cessation in Pregnant Women at CMU Health: Traditional vs. Centering Pregnancy Model of Prenatal Care, mentor Dr. Vicki Mello, OB/Gyn Program • First place Medical Education Poster o Mohamed Hussein - The Academic Experience in Distance (Virtual) Rounding and Education of Emergency Surgery During COVID-19 Pandemic, mentor Dr. Faiz Tuma, Surgery Program • First place Case Report Poster o Maheen Akhter - Diabetic Ketoacidosis Following Kidney Transplant: The Importance of Monitoring Glucose with Tacrolimus, mentor Dr. Jaspreet Batth, Internal Medicine Program • Second place Case Report Poster o Julie Bunyard - Hypothermia as Initial Presenting Sign of COVID-19 in a Postpartum Patient, mentor Dr. Brian Tesler • First place Population Health/Quality Improvement Poster o Laura O’Brian - Perinatal Suboxone or Methadone Use on Neonatal Outcomes in Rural and Urban Michigan: A multicenter cross-sectional study, mentor Dr. Neli Ragina, CMU College of Medicine • Second place Population Health/Quality Improvement Poster o Carly Joseph - Physical Isolation and Mental Health Among Older U.S. Adults During COVID-19: Longitudinal Findings from the COVID-19 Coping Study, mentor Dr. Lindsay Kobayashi, University of Michigan
Oral Presentations
• First place o Henry Haley - Enhanced Bone Metastases in Skeletally Immature Mice, mentor Dr. Gary Luker, Michigan Medicine • Second place o Brian Peine - Effect of Early Hydroxyurea Treatment on Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound for Children with Sickle Cell Disease: A Retrospective Chart Review, mentor Dr. Michael Callaghan
Congratulations to all of the winners!
Inaugural Recipient of Student Research Award Announced at Research Symposium
The Louis and Yvette Saravolatz Research
Scholar Award was presented for the first time at the College of Medicine and CMU Medical Education Partners spring symposium. Maher Megaly, M1, received the award for a project titled “Thrombosis and d-dimer formation as risk assessment for COVID-19 patients’ mortality at CMU Health and Covenant HealthCare,” which was the top-rated proposal submitted for the College of Medicine Medical Student Summer Research Scholars program. Nicholas Haddad, MD and Neli Ragina, PhD are the mentors for this award. Made possible through the generosity of Louis and Yvette Saravolatz, the award provides a $3,000 summer research project stipend to be done by an M1 medical student in cooperation with a College of Medicine faculty member mentor. In addition, the award provides up to $1,500 for the student, while studying at the College of Medicine, to present the results of the research at a regional or national meeting, or to pay for costs associated with publication of the research.
There’s no single reason S. Akbar Husain, MD wants to dedicate his future to helping others. But the son of Pakistani immigrants has a special empathy for the challenges people face in difficult circumstances. Husain's father worked his way through medical school after being displaced from his homeland, moving to Canada and then Michigan. Following his example, Husain graduated May 7 from CMU College of Medicine. In June, he began his three-year internal medicine residency at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. After that, his commitment to the underserved via his National Health Services Corps Scholarship could lead him anywhere in the country. Wherever he goes, he will be needed. The highly competitive NHSC program is a rare full-tuition scholarship awarded to about 60 medical students in primary care fields each year. Awardees commit to serving in a highneed area of the U.S. after residency.
