Ophthalmology Foundation One to One Mentoring Program
"Mentoring is a system of semi-structured guidance whereby one person shares their knowledge, skills, and experience to assist others to progress in their own professional lives and careers. Mentors need to be readily accessible and prepared to offer help as the need arises - within agreed bounds. Mentors very often have their own mentors, and in turn, their mentees might wish to ‘put something back and become mentors themselves - it's a chain for ‘passing on’ good practice so that the benefits can be widely spread.
Mentoring can be a short-term arrangement until the original reason for the partnership is fulfilled (or ceases), or it can last many years.
Mentoring is more than ‘giving advice’, or passing on what your experience was in a particular area or situation. It's about motivating and empowering the other person to identify their own issues and goals, and helping them to find ways of resolving or reaching them - not by doing it for them, or expecting them to ‘do it the way I did it’, but by understanding and respecting different ways of working. " – Taken from the University of Cambridge
Welcome to the Ophthalmology Foundation One to One Mentoring Program
The Ophthalmology Foundation(OF) One to One mentoring program is a collaborative program of the Ophthalmology Foundation and ophthalmology supranational societies. At this time, the Pan-American Ophthalmology Association (PAAO) and the Middle East Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) are our first official supranational partners for this program.
Program Goals:
The One to One mentoring program’s primary goal is to connect young ophthalmologists with more experienced ophthalmologists that have demonstrated success in their fields of expertise. Mentors will aim to help mentees avoid having to learn from their own mistakes, sharing their experience to accelerate the career of their mentees and help them to develop skills in their areas of interest regarding eye care, education, research, and organizational leadership. The OFEC Mentorship will help mentors and mentees build a team relationship from which both can benefit.
Working with a mentor can be an invaluable experience for both parties. The mentor and mentee will likely learn new things about themselves and each other that will help them move toward their career goals. To make a successful mentor mentee relationship, each party needs to understand the role they play in the mentoring team. For both mentors and mentees this process is a two-way street, and you get out of it what you put in.
What is expected from mentors?
Once committed to helping a mentee, a mentor will follow up with them to help them reach their goals. Mentors will report to the mentoring program’s Mentorship Coordinating Committee on the progress of the mentees. A mentor may offer training if they so choose. Mentors will be free to decide which and how many mentees they will accept. Mentorships are most effective when they continue over a period of time. While it is not required, we suggest that once committed, a mentor/mentee relationship continues over several meetings.
What is expected from mentees?
As a mentee, you have the opportunity to learn from the experiences of your mentor as well as to ask for feedback, but like any relationship, you get what you put in. Mentees will be responsible for:
- Identifying their initial learning goals and measures of success for the mentoring relationship
- Being open to and seeking feedback from their mentors
- Taking an active role in their own learning. Mentees will be expected to help drive the process of their mentor/mentee relationship.
- Working with their mentor to schedule and attend mentor meetings
- Following through on commitments
- Taking informed risks as they try new options and behaviors in support of their career and development goals.
