Pharmacists Advice and Support Service (PASS)

Mentor Programme Guide

Introduction

This booklet will give you an overview of what mentoring involves, what mentors do and the benefits of being a mentor. Mentoring is a tool for personal development and support which you can use as part of your career progression and/or to improve professional performance whilst assisting with the development of a pharmacist.

What is the PASS Mentor Programme?

The PASS Mentor program is the facilitation of a personal and professional developmental relationship between a more experienced or knowledgeable pharmacist (mentor) and a fellow pharmacist who is less experienced (mentee). Both mentor and mentee are paired according to professional area, skills, need and other criteria.

Whilst the PASS mentor programme will be available to all registered pharmacists, we will seek to tailor promotion of the mentor provision service to the following groups specifically:

  • Newly qualified pharmacists
  • Pharmacists returning to practice
  • Pharmacists who have undergone a fitness to practise process

Anyone can be mentored (be a mentee) and your mentor will be someone who you respect and provides you with the information and guidance you want, in an environment that encourages you to manage your own learning and develop your skills.

What is Mentoring?

Mentoring is a professional relationship in which a more experienced person helps a less experienced person to develop specific skills and knowledge that will enhance their professional and personal growth.

Why should I become a Mentor?

By taking on a mentee, you’ve made an investment in ensuring they develop the skills and experience required to help them grow and develop within the profession. Mentoring can make a positive impact on the success of the individual by helping them develop skills more quickly.

The mentor’s role

Mentoring will have a different meaning for different individuals. For some it will mean a relationship where the mentor guides the mentee on specific topics, and for others it will relate to a wider, less directive relationship. Your role will be to support the mentee and help them achieve their goals.

The mentoring relationship

Mentoring relationships are founded on an open and trusting working relationship between the mentor and mentee. Relationships will be different in their balance of support and challenge and both mentors and mentees need to establish, at the outset, their expectations and their boundaries within the relationship. The mentoring handbook gives more details of the practicalities of building this relationship

The mentoring relationship can provide:

  • improved understanding of work issues and exposure to different approaches to dealing with them
  • a sounding board for ideas
  • knowledge from someone in a similar role about the external environment and the characteristics and culture of the sector
  • opportunities for self-learning
  • a chance to focus on priorities
  • an increase in confidence

Do you want to be a mentor?

There are many pharmacists who can help others to develop themselves and their careers using the knowledge and experience they have gained throughout their own careers, irrespective of age or sector of practice.

Ask yourself are you a person who:

  • is in a position where your knowledge, experience or specialism is likely to be valued by the mentee
  • is a senior decision maker and leader
  • is prepared to listen and learn from staff about their issues
  • has current experience and relevant knowledge
  • is available to support the person being mentored through listening, giving advice, problem solving, challenging and guiding
  • is interested in his/her development and the development of others
  • willingly gives their time voluntarily

Types of mentoring

The Mentoring Program will have three communication conduits;

  • Face to Face
  • Email
  • Telephone
  • Skype/Facetime if available

What is involved for the Mentor?

PASS Mentors will be able to provide ongoing support over an agreed period of time.

This will often be just a series of short discussions over a short timeframe, but it could be for a longer period. It is the responsibility of the PASS Mentor to agree this with his/her mentee.

At all times, the PASS Mentor must control the relationship and it’s parameters including agreeing a date of conclusion/termination.

Face to face and telephone contact will be organised by mutual consentand guidance should be followed, please refer to section on contact requirements. It is anticipated that Mentoring contact should not be in excess 1 – 2 hours per month.

Are there CPD benefits of being a Mentor?

Mentoring promotes learning, commitment and improves motivation, all of which support the completion of CPD entries as a mentor. CPD entries may be structured around learning that results from planned or unplanned meetings and discussions, providing and receiving support or feedback, and evaluating your progress both as a mentee as well as a mentor without breaching confidentiality. Over time, you may have opportunities to refine your own learning focused through CPD.

Support

Full training and support will be in place for all mentors, anyone wishing to be a mentor must complete the mentor training, this will be provided by PASS.

These guidance recommendations are designed to support the Mentor:

  • To discuss and establish a framework within which to facilitate an individual’s development
  • To understand what to expect from the mentoring relationship
  • Clarify the rights and responsibilities of both parties in the mentoring relationship
  • Encourage discussion to define any boundaries to that relationship
  • Clarifying the issues of confidentiality within the mentoring relationship

Suggested ways of using the guidance:

  • To provide a reference point for establishing the mentoring relationship
  • To discuss, formalise and agree ground rules with the mentee at the beginning of the first session
  • Use to reinforce or redefine boundaries if either party is straying outside ground rules

Ground rules for mentoring

A mentoring session:

  • Is an open, honest, supportive, non-judgmental discussion which takes place in a quiet, private place with no interruptions
  • Is confidential; however, maintaining confidentiality regarding issues raised/discussed during the session should not compromise the mentor with respect to the Pharmaceutical Society NI codes or Standards. If the mentor feels that their duty of care to avoid harm to patients overrides the requirement for confidentiality then they may take appropriate steps, with the full knowledge of the mentee
  • Has an agreed structure, including:
  • the scope of what will be discussed and any appropriate boundaries e.g. personal vs. professional issues
  • the ability of either party to withdraw from the mentoring relationship e.g. due to personality clashes (in this case an alternative mentor may be assigned )
  • review and follow up mechanisms
  • Has an agreed time frame including
  • the frequency of mentoring sessions
  • the duration of mentoring sessions
  • cancellations within an agreed framework
  • a commitment from the mentor and mentee to turn up and on time for an agreed session (electronically or otherwise), regardless of the degree of progress that has been made
  • availability of the mentor outside of agreed sessions

The mentor:

  • Will demonstrate a commitment to the development of their mentoring skills
  • Can refer to another mentor if they feel they have reached their limitations to help (this should take place in consultation with the mentee)
  • Will explain the role of the mentor and explore the expectations of the mentee
  • Will be objective and non-judgmental. They are not there to assess the mentee’s performance
  • Will explain the need for any notes written during a mentoring session, what will happen to these notes and how the mentee can gain access to them
  • Has protected time allocated for mentoring sessions and any preparation required

The mentee:

  • Will retain the ownership of their development
  • Will take responsibility for their Personal Development Plan (PDP) and undertake to
  • identify their learning & development needs
  • plan how to meet these needs
  • undertake the development activities identified in their plan
  • document this
  • Must be honest, demonstrate commitment to their development, be prepared and have thought about their development before the mentoring session in order to fully benefit from mentoring
  • Can choose not to share personal information with their mentor

Professional Standards of Behaviour

Both Mentors and Mentees shall at all times maintain professional standards of behaviour consistent with the PSNI Code, available at

Privacy

Participants will maintain the confidentiality of all matters discussed in a mentoring situation. Mentors, mentees and representatives of PASS shall not disclose any confidential information; however party shall be entitled to disclose any confidential information received to the extent it is required to comply with statutory or legal obligations, provided that the party first gives notice to the other party and complies with any reasonable direction of the other party. This clause shall survive the termination of a mentoring relationship.

The mentor shall not have any pecuniary or non-pecuniary interest in the mentees business andvice versa. Any conflict of interest should be declared to the PASS Coordinator.

Contact Requirements

As participation in the PASS Mentoring Program is based on a professional relationship, PASS asks that meetings do not take place in private homes. Meetings should take place in a public location, or at the Society House if suitable.

Ending the Mentoring Relationship Early

Either party can terminate the relationship early. However, out of respect to their program partner, the participant must notify the PASS Coordinator, via , as soon as possible to inform them that they wish to withdraw. The PASS Coordinator will then notify their program partner. It is important that we receive feedback if a participant decides to withdraw so we can continue to improve the program. The reasons for withdrawing will remain confidential and will not be passed on to the other party without the participant’s consent.

If the mentoring relationship ends early by mutual consent, both parties must notify the PASS Coordinator to inform them that the mentoring relationship has ended.

Release

Both the Mentor and Mentee waive all rights and entitlements to any claims, actions, suits, legal proceedings, demands, costs, losses, damages and expenses against the mentee and PASS, now and at any future time, that are in any way related to any act or omission of the mentee and/or PASS to the mentor done in good faith under the program.

Termination of a Participant’s Role

A participant shall be suspended from the program if he or she is found to have contravened the Terms and Conditions outlined above.

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