A good mentoring relationship is crucial to a new graduate’s professional development in equine medicine. By showing confidence in the mentee and generously sharing experiences, knowledge, and skills, the mentor can have a marked influence on their colleague’s future.
Psychological Safety for Veterinary Graduates
An environment where psychological safety is present is essential for the best mentoring. According to research by Amy Edmundson, PhD, Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School, the basis for psychological safety includes a workplace where candor is accepted, mistakes are forgiven, questions are seen as a strength rather than a weakness, and questioning the status quo occurs without fear. A culture with this kind of safety increases engagement, innovation, and productivity. Her work has shown that psychological safety within the workplace is one of the most important factors contributing to learning behaviors. When motivation is high but psychological safety is low, anxiety results. When motivation and psychological safety are high, staff can enter the learning zone. In a practice where the culture is not entirely safe, a mentor can provide a zone of safety where the mentee can be heard and learn more effectively.
Preventing Imposter Syndrome in New Veterinary Graduates
When a mentor models being vulnerable and acknowledges their areas of weakness, they provide a strong model of human imperfection. When partnered with their expertise and success, this model helps mentees build resilience and avoid imposter syndrome. The Oxford Dictionary defines imposter syndrome as “the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills.” The characteristics of impostor syndrome include:
- Self-doubt.
- Inability to accurately judge one’s own abilities.
- Giving the credit of one’s success to other external factors.
- Overachieving.
- Constant fear of not standing up to peoples’ expectations.
- Self-sabotage.
- Fear of isolation, exposure, and rejection.
- Rumination.
- Anxiety and depression.
Providing Feedback to New Equine Vets
Mentoring conversations with the most impact include professional identity, work-family integration, personal confidence, and resilience in the face of stress, along with performance evaluation. Early career veterinarians prefer frequent feedback, but you need to ask them how, where, and when they prefer to receive it. Is that in a formal meeting, during a walk outside, at the end of a workday, or at the beginning? Is it weekly or daily? Do they prefer something in writing to accompany a conversation? Can you accommodate their wishes, or will it be too difficult with your time constraints? Can you compromise so everyone gets something they need?
Entrustment Scales for Mentees
Most veterinary colleges are using entrustment scales to create paths to success. These scales can be for specific clinical tasks or for soft skills like client communication. The idea is to determine how much you trust the mentee to perform the task or skill with a particular level of supervision. This method uses language that encourages rather than punishes: “This is what went well”; “Next time I’d like to see you…”; “You need to work on the following things”; or “Here’s the trouble I’m having.” In addition, ask the mentee what steps they will take to achieve competency and how you can help them. Regular check-ins can demonstrate your dedication to the mentee’s success.
Final Thoughts
Good mentors encourage and demonstrate confidence in the mentee; recognize the mentee as an individual with a full life; value them as a person; ensure a positive and supportive professional environment for the mentee; don’t deny their own struggles, ignorance, or fears; and are liberal with feedback, given in the mentee’s preferred way. They encourage independent action but are willing to invest time with the mentee when requested. They provide accessibility and exposure for the mentee within their own professional circle, allow the mentee to assist whenever possible, are generous with credit, and are patient with inquiries. You too can be an awesome mentor for new equine veterinarians.
Related Reading
- The Business of Practice: Building Confidence in Entry-Level Veterinarians
- The Business of Practice: Building Healthy Veterinary Internship Programs
- Business Briefs: New Thoughts on Communication for Equine Veterinarians
Stay in the know! Sign up for EquiManagement’s FREE weekly newsletters to get the latest equine research, disease alerts, and vet practice updates delivered straight to your inbox.
