Brain Trust: Students for Students: VCU to RPS Mentorship Program

As a public, urban research institution, Virginia Commonwealth University embraces the importance of developing university-community partnerships that generate innovative solutions to societal challenges and prepare engaged citizens of tomorrow. The Students for Students: VCU to RPS Mentorship Program provides a model that will connect current VCU students to current Richmond Public Schools (RPS) students through a formal, multi-year mentorship. The ultimate goal of this program is to support and positively influence RPS students, while providing current VCU students with an opportunity to give back to the community while developing their mentorship skills. The mentoring relationship will seek to motivate RPS sophomores, juniors and seniors to improve school performance, graduate on time, and craft a post-high school path

Learning to be a Prison Educator

This paper explores the process by which instructors learn to teach in prison. First, research on the challenges correctional educators encounter is explored. Second, an instructor training and mentorship program developed in Alberta, Canada will be presented, followed by a discussion of the importance on ongoing professional development that is specific to correctional educators

Developing a Research Mentorship Program: The American Society of Pediatric Nephrology's Experience

Background: Most pediatric nephrologists work in academia. Mentor-mentee relationships provide support and guidance for successful research career. Mentorship program implementation is valuable in medical fields for providing research opportunities to young faculty. Methods: The American Society of Pediatric Nephrology (ASPN) established a research mentorship program to (a) assist with matching of appropriate mentor-mentee dyads and (b) establish metrics for desirable mentor-mentee outcomes with two independent components: (1) the grants review workshop, a short-term program providing mentor feedback on grant proposals, and (2) the longitudinal program, establishing long-term mentor-mentee relationships. Regular surveys of both mentors and mentees were reviewed to evaluate and refine the program. Results: Twelve mentees and 17 mentors participated in the grant review workshop and 19 mentees were matched to mentors in the longitudinal program. A review of NIH RePORTER data indicated that since 2014, 13 NIH grants have been awarded. Mentees in the longitudinal program reported that the program helped most with identifying an outside mentor, improving grant research content, and with general career development. Mentors perceived themselves to be most helpful in assisting with overall career plans. Email communications were preferred over phone or face-to-face communications. Mentees endorsed strong interest in staying in touch with their mentors and 100% of mentors expressed their willingness to serve in the future. Conclusion: This mentorship program was initiated and supported by a relatively small medical society and has shown early success in cultivating mentoring relationships for a future generation of clinician-scientists

Promoting Environments that Measure Outcomes: Partnerships for Change

This paper describes the development of the PrEMO© (Promoting Environments that Measure Outcomes) program. PrEMO© is an innovative model promoting evidence-based practice (EBP) while developing capacity and quality of Level II fieldwork placements. The PrEMO© program is described from initiation to completion, including development of site-specific learning objectives, the twelve week schedule and the role of faculty mentorship. Occupational therapy (OT) students, and university OT program faculty including academic fieldwork coordinators, partner with fieldwork educators at the site to implement EBP using a data-driven decision making (DDDM) process to guide the development of evidence-based practices. PrEMO© appears to be a useful strategy for building Level II fieldwork capacity and enhancing student and fieldwork educators’ knowledge and skills about EBP and outcome measurement in routine OT practice

The importance of mentorship: exploring the experiences of novice teachers in Chile

Tesis (Profesor de Inglés para la Enseñanza Básica y Media y al grado académico de Licenciado en Educación)Mentorship is considered essential for providing novice teachers with a successful performance at the beginning of their careers since the first year of work as teachers has an important impact on the development of the future profession. The present study aims at exploring the experiences of novice teachers, who have been part of a mentorship program in Chile, in order to understand whether this program achieves the aim for which it was created or if it needs to be modified to make it a successful program. The subjects who participated in this research study belong to one public school called ―Liceo Bicentenario de Niñas‖ located in Santiago, Chile. The design of this investigation follows the features of qualitative research which is best suited for this study since its main concern is to know a particular phenomenon. Furthermore, the tradition of this study is a phenomenological study since it describes the meaning for individuals of their lived experiences of a concept or phenomenon. These participants answered a semi-structured interview which provides with several questions for interviewers and can provide with reliable, comparable qualitative data. Finally, the results showed that the Mentorship Program has both, positive and negative impact on novice teachers. In fact, there were three main aspects that are worth mentioning. Those aspects are: its importance, the areas that need to be improved and the suggestions given by the novice teachers.El programa de mentorías es considerado esencial para proporcionar a los profesores principiantes un desempeño exitoso al inicio de sus carreras desde el primer año de trabajo como profesores. El presente estudio tiene como objetivo explorar las experiencias de profesores principiantes que han sido parte de un programa de mentores en Chile con el fin de lograr comprender si este programa logra el objetivo para el cual fue creado o si necesita ser modificado para que funcione con éxito. Los sujetos que participaron en este estudio pertenecen a una escuela pública llamada "Liceo Bicentenario de Niñas" ubicada en Santiago de Chile. El diseño de esta investigación sigue las características de una investigación cualitativa la cual es la más adecuada para este estudio, ya que su principal preocupación es conocer un fenómeno en particular. Además, la tradición de este estudio es un estudio fenomenológico ya que describe el significado de los individuos de sus experiencias vividas de un concepto o fenómeno. Estos participantes respondieron a una entrevista semi estructurada que proporciona diversas preguntas a los entrevistadores y puede ofrecer datos cualitativos confiables y comparables. Finalmente, los resultados mostraron que el Programa de Mentores tiene un impacto tanto positivo como negativo en los profesores principiantes. De hecho, hay tres aspectos principales que vale la pena mencionar. Esos aspectos son: su importancia, las áreas que necesitan ser mejoradas y las sugerencias dadas por los profesores principiantes

Building nursing and midwifery leadership capacity in the Pacific

© 2016 International Council of Nurses Aim: The Australian Award Fellowship Program aimed to strengthen nursing and midwifery leadership and capacity in developing countries in the Pacific. Background: It is necessary to build an optimal global health workforce, and leadership and mentorship are central to this need. This is especially important in small island states such as the Pacific who have limited capacity and resources. Introduction: This health system strengthening program addressed quality improvement in education, through the mentorship of potential nursing and midwifery leaders in the South Pacific Region. Methods: Program participants between 2013 and 2015 were interviewed. Data were audio-taped, transcribed and analysed thematically using an inductive process. Results: Thirty-four nurses and midwives from 12 countries participated. There were four main themes arising from the data which were: having a country-wide objective, learning how to be a leader, negotiating barriers and having effective mentorship. Discussion: Our study showed that participants deemed their mentorship from country leaders highly valuable in relation to completing their projects, networking and role modelling. Similar projects are described. Limitations: The limitation of this study was its small size. There is a need to continue to build the momentum of the program and Fellows in each country in order to build regional networks. Conclusions and implications for nursing and midwifery: The Program has provided beneficial leadership education and mentorship for nurses and midwives from Pacific countries. It has provided a platform to develop quality improvement projects in line with national priorities. Implications for health policy: Global aid programs and the recipients of the program would benefit from comparable health strengthening approaches to nursing and midwifery in similar developing countries

Impact of an Engineering Mentorship Program on African-American Male High School Students\u27 Perceptions and Self-Efficacy

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an engineering mentorship program on African-American male high school students’ perceptions of engineering as a viable career choice. In this study, indicators included students’ perceptions of engineering, their self-efficacy in the area of mathematics, and their self-efficacy in the area of science. Using an independent t-test to determine a difference of statistical significance, inferential statistics were provided to answer the following research questions: (a) Is there a significant difference in perceptions of engineering for students who participated in the NCETE/NSBE mentorship program when compared with non-mentored students?, (b) Is there a significant difference in self-efficacy in the area of mathematics for students who participated in the NCETE/NSBE mentorship when compared with non-mentored students?, and (c) Is there a significant difference in self-efficacy in the area of science for students who participated in the NCETE/NSBE mentorship when compared wit

Advancing Faculty DiversityThrough Self-Directed Mentoring

Mentoring is widely acknowledged to be important in career success, yet may be lacking for female and minority law professors, contributing to disparities in retention and promotion of diverse faculty. This Article presents the results of a unique diversity mentoring program conducted at one law school. Mentoring is often thought of as something directed by the mentor on behalf of the protégé. Our framework inverts that model, empowering diverse faculty members to proactively cultivate their own networks of research mentors. The studied intervention consisted of modest programming on mentorship, along with supplemental travel funds to focus specifically on travel for the purpose of cultivating mentors beyond one’s own institution. Participants were responsible for setting their own mentorship goals, approaching mentors and arranging meetings, and reporting annually on their activities and progress. Both quantitative and qualitative evidence demonstrate that the program has been effective along its measurable goals in its first year. Participants report growing their networks of mentors, receiving significant advice on research and the tenure process, and being sponsored for new opportunities. The authors conclude that this type of mentoring initiative, if more broadly applied, could have a significant impact on reducing disparities in retention and promotion in the legal academy. To facilitate such replication, the Article describes both the process of designing the program and the actual operation of the program as carried out at one school. In sum, the Article offers a concrete starting point for discussions at any law school interested in advancing faculty diversity through improved mentoring