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From Mentee to Mentor, An Inside Look at FOX’s Mentorship Program

Published On 5.27.20

By Alex Germano, PT, DPT, and Lena Shrestha, PT, DPT

Physical Therapists

If you decide to join FOX Rehabilitation as a new graduate, you will be lucky enough to find yourself in the Emerging Professionals Mentor Program (EPMP). This six-month program is a way to strengthen new graduates’ confidence and skills through small jumps in caseload expectations. Weekly goal setting is guided by a regional mentor to help improve documentation quality and timeliness, care coordination with other clinicians, and efficiency in scheduling.

A mentor/mentee relationship is critical to the success of new graduates at FOX. To help you understand it better, learn how two FOX employees currently in the program describe their experience. One is Lena, a physical therapist and new graduate who started in September 2019. And the other is Alex, a physical therapist in her third year at FOX who serves as a regional mentor in Northern Virginia.

From the Eyes of  a Mentee: Lena’s Story

From Clinical Internship to FOX’s Mentor Program

As I was preparing for graduation from my physical therapy program and looking into different local practices, FOX always stood out. I felt impassioned by its mission but also because of the Emerging Professionals Mentor Program.

When you are a new clinician, you’re making a transition from practice habits you learned in school and during your clinical internships. If you’re like me, a kinesthetic and auditory learner who thrives on clear instructions and demonstration, then the thought of being thrown into home visit practice on your own might make you feel a bit apprehensive. Do you dip your toe in the water first or jump right in? FOX’s caseload ramp let me do both. The Mentor Program afforded me time and headspace to ease into practicing on my own – without the training wheel scaffold of a clinical instructor’s style and habits.

In general, I tend to be an imitative person. With a past life in cultural studies and applied anthropology, I’m observant and adaptive – but sometimes as a student that meant that I would just do things the way my CI did. You all know the beaming feeling you had when you gave an education bit exactly right or answered a patient question just as your CI would have. But for better or for worse, your CI won’t be there when you’re out visiting your first patients. I had been most successful in gaining independence by CIs who allowed me space to figure it out myself. As I progressed from student to new clinician, I hoped that my mentor would continue that progression toward autonomy, and she did.

Teachable Moments vs. Side-by-Side Mentorship

The first few times Alex came along with me to shadow a visit or eval, I was nervous. I thought she would be watching and assessing me (like a CI) but really I ended up feeling comfortable. When we discussed the sessions afterward, she affirmed what I was thinking and added her two cents, like a colleague consultation. She didn’t treat it as a “teachable moment.” That approach made me feel confident and autonomous but also helped me learn. She gave me a lot of valuable suggestions on quick ways to make my documentation even more defensible and maximize my treatments with current research. While I was excited to start practicing in my own way, I was open to her advice and I did adjust the way I planned my sessions.

Alex gave me all her contact information when I started the Mentor Program, and she frequently checked in and offered to answer questions whenever I needed. But as a mentor, she was more than a help desk. When I followed her on Instagram, I saw that she frequently shares research, educational videos, and practice tips from herself and others. Think back to some of your internships. Some of the best lessons were probably in observation of how someone else worked. In a practice primarily engaged in home visits, I thought I wouldn’t benefit from that education-by-proximity. But because of how openly Alex shares her interests and what she’s doing, I still benefit from learning alongside a more experienced practitioner. It’s as if she’s at the next table at a brick-and-mortar clinic. As I started to fall into my own practice habits, trying new things in her way and mine, she let me lead with what I needed from a mentor. For my own growth, this is the space to do things myself along with quick feedback when requested.  As you make this transition for yourself, I highly recommend taking time to reflect and evaluate what approaches have been most successful for you.

Because of the open relationship we’ve developed, even though I have “graduated” from the Mentor Program, it is now easy for me to ask Alex questions on complex cases or advice on a new direction when my plan just isn’t working. I think this relationship is successful for us because we have a personal connection, and it is a two-way street. She gives me advice, certainly, but I also seek feedback and ask questions. I have been flexible in how I practice adjusting to a new setting. If you’re a new clinician making this transition, my biggest advice is to strive to be an adaptable, active, lifelong learner. Developing this learning partnership with Alex during the Mentor Program gave me the opportunity to grow at my own pace and in my own way.

From the Eyes of a Mentor: Alex’s Story

I have been a mentor three times now, and I was once a mentee myself. I find that each mentee is different and requires varying levels of support throughout their six-month onboarding process. There are some new graduates that need more help with documentation and others that want more assistance on the clinical side. Regardless of where their needs lie, what mentees really need is availability.

Mentees need open lines of communication and fast responses to feel appropriately supported. Remember, being solo all day on your first job can make you feel isolated and alone. The mentor is your lifeline to feeling connected to FOX.  The way to provide whatever support they may need is to keep a very flexible and open schedule. Mentors’ schedules are usually more hectic, so I always try and keep two half-days a week open for the first few weeks. This way, I have plenty of availability and can give my mentee specific times to schedule those challenging patients, perform a documentation review, or go over clinical techniques. I have made the mistake before of over-scheduling myself, and it leaves me stressed and less available for my mentees. FOX provides extra time for mentors, and I would definitely use it for that time for the first few weeks.

How to Customize Your Approach

As Lena pointed out, with mentees you need to find a balance between being helpful but not overbearing. It can be difficult in the beginning to break that feeling of wanting to treat your mentee like a student or providing feedback like a clinical instructor. Some mentees may appreciate that approach because it feels familiar, but many are excited to be working independently of a CI and want to develop their own flow as a clinician.

I suggest discussing levels of desired support with your mentee from the beginning. This can set expectations early and help the mentee to feel autonomous. I think what worked really well with Lena was asking if she wanted me to be there for her evaluation. She decided to go alone and come to me with questions after. This allowed her to feel out how she would like an evaluation to flow, where the sticky points were, and how she could improve and plan for the next one.

I also agree with Lena that mentor support lasts long after the initial six months. My mentees end up becoming some of my closest colleagues at FOX. My own mentor is someone I continue to go to for advice and clinical questions. This giant group of mentees and mentors ends up being a fantastic support network that continues to improve the clinical excellence of the FOX practice.

Best Practices for Maximizing the Mentor/Mentee Relationship

  • Early on, set expectations for availability and frequent communication.
  • Identify learning and teaching styles, and levels of support desired.
  • Discuss areas of strength and growth.
  • Provide guided content and practice info in anticipation of the mentee’s needs, beyond what they might ask.
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