The first session of the 2018-19 Mentor Training for Postdocs took place on Wednesday, October 31st, 2018. The training sessions last 1.5 hours and are held with two session in the Fall (Oct 10/31 and Nov 11/28), two sessions in the Winter, and two sessions in the Spring. Postdocs who complete all 6 sessions over the course of 2 years will receive a completion certificate for the program. The interactive format consists of moderator-led workshops where participants work through case studies in small group discussions. Literature on mentoring shows that postdocs directly benefit from improved mentoring relationships. We use a tested curriculum developed specifically for postdocs by the National Research Mentoring Network that we evaluate annually, and covers the following topics:
- Maintaining effective communication
- Aligning expectations
- Assessing understanding
- Addressing equity and inclusion
- Fostering independence
- Promoting individual development
Feedback from Postdocs who completed the program 2015-2018 (n=27):
- 100% said it was a valuable use of their time
- 100% would recommend training to other postdocs
- 100% made changes in their mentoring as a result of the training (all showed improvement in mentoring self-assessed mentoring skills)
Postdoc Testimonials:
“Thanks for including me in the mentor training program this year. This is very much needed a program for upcoming and young mentors. The most beautiful part of this is given an idea and how to understand, taking into confidence, trained and groom the student. Addressing equity, fostering independence and accessing understanding looks familiar and easy but difficult to bring into right practice. And this what this program delivers. Very Interactive session. Awesome!”
“I revised my mentoring strategies with my current PhD student towards an inclusive approach…leading to a consistent improvement of his performances and research results.”
“I plan to more proactive in my mentoring style. I.e. arrange formal meetings, establish expectations and goals at beginning of relationship”