Why Take Part in this Program?
No one quite understands the role and responsibility of being a dentist like you! Taking a protégé under your wing provides a great opportunity for you to share what you have learned though your life experience. Our goal is to match you with a protégé who has similar life aspirations so that your knowledge and experience will be particularly useful as they try to navigate through the components of life and dental school. Sometimes the dental students just need a nudge to realize that it is all worth it in the end!
No one quite understands the role and responsibility of being a dentist like you! Taking a protégé under your wing provides a great opportunity for you to share what you have learned though your life experience. Our goal is to match you with a protégé who has similar life aspirations so that your knowledge and experience will be particularly useful as they try to navigate through the components of life and dental school. Sometimes the dental students just need a nudge to realize that it is all worth it in the end!
The Process:
After applications are complete, mentors will be matched to protégés based on mutual interests and pairs will be notified. The program will officially launch in June at the Maine Dental Association Annual Session. Students and dentists are encouraged to attend this event. After the initial introduction, the relationship will be self sustaining. Mentor/protégé pairs are encouraged to maintain contact throughout the year and will be sent periodical emails from the UNE ASDA/MDA Mentorship Committee. The commitment to the program will be one year and there will be an exit survey after the academic year in 2019.
After applications are complete, mentors will be matched to protégés based on mutual interests and pairs will be notified. The program will officially launch in June at the Maine Dental Association Annual Session. Students and dentists are encouraged to attend this event. After the initial introduction, the relationship will be self sustaining. Mentor/protégé pairs are encouraged to maintain contact throughout the year and will be sent periodical emails from the UNE ASDA/MDA Mentorship Committee. The commitment to the program will be one year and there will be an exit survey after the academic year in 2019.
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Mentor's responsibilities
We ask mentors to commit to a minimum of one encounter a month with their protégé. This encounter may be: in person, phone, mail, email as determined by the mentor and protégé.
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Protégé’s responsibilities
Benefits of being a mentor:
Being a mentor provides multiple benefits to both you and the student you are mentoring. They are:
How should a Mentor/protégé relationship work?
There are basics to every mentor/protégé relationship that should be kept in mind. They are:
What should the mentor/protégé do together?
A Monthly guide of suggestions:
What if the relationship doesn’t work?
If you’ve given it your best shot and tried communicating with each other, contact the program coordinator at the dental school. They can offer suggestions on ways to try improving the situation or if you feel that you and your assigned mentor/protégé are not well matched, a new pairing may be made.
Please Contact the Mentorship Committee at: unedentalmentorship@gmail.com
Helpful Resources:
- Communication is a two way street! Keep an open line of communication
- Respect the time of your mentor by keeping commitments and meetings
- Express your goals for the relationship and keep expectations reasonable
- Define what you would like to gain from the mentor program
- Provide valuable feedback to your mentor
- Share your dental school experiences, thoughts about the profession and seek your mentors opinion
Benefits of being a mentor:
Being a mentor provides multiple benefits to both you and the student you are mentoring. They are:
- Gives back to the profession
- Networking
- New perspectives
- Help guide the profession’s future
- Meet potential associates, partners, or future buyers
How should a Mentor/protégé relationship work?
There are basics to every mentor/protégé relationship that should be kept in mind. They are:
- Be willing and eager to talk, be willing and eager to listen
- Be honest
- Greet the mentor/protégé by name
- Feel free to share your opinion but guard against telling someone what to do or not to do
- Remember to thank the mentor for their time and attention
- Enjoy yourself and have fun. Your time and effort can make a real difference in the personal and professional growth of the protégé (and the mentor, too!). You will benefit from the satisfaction of sharing your interest in the profession.
What should the mentor/protégé do together?
A Monthly guide of suggestions:
- June: Attend “Meet your Mentor” event in South Portland
- July: Meet for coffee or invite your protégé to your monthly staff meeting (skype or phone in)
- August: School begins August 30th, consider a job shadowing day
- September: School has started: Consider sending a note of encouragement
- October: Attend a local dental society meeting together or volunteer in the community together
- November: Talk about personal values, ethics and the importance of organized dentistry
- December: Send a holiday greeting card
- January: Attend a CE Course at Yankee or tour a dental lab
- February: Have dinner
- March: Talk about staffing and working as a team
- April: Talk about balancing a budget and exploring finance options (please complete Exit
survey!) - May: Discuss planning for the future and do a practice interview
What if the relationship doesn’t work?
If you’ve given it your best shot and tried communicating with each other, contact the program coordinator at the dental school. They can offer suggestions on ways to try improving the situation or if you feel that you and your assigned mentor/protégé are not well matched, a new pairing may be made.
Please Contact the Mentorship Committee at: unedentalmentorship@gmail.com
Helpful Resources:
- Designing a mentorship program: https://www.shrm.org/communities/student-resources/pages/mentorprogram.aspx
- Wisconsin Dental Association Mentorship Program Website: http://www.wda.org/dental-professionals/mentor-program
- The UNE/MDA Mentorship Committee would like to thank the Wisconsin Dental Association for granting permission to model their mentorship program and for providing useful “Mentorship Program” ideas and documents.