1

Yinan Wang
DOS 518 Mentoring Activity
8/5/2016
Effective Mentoring
A mentor is a knowledgeable and experienced individual in a profession that would like
to share her / his knowledge and experience with a mentee, someone who is a novice in that
profession.1 As Dr. Patrick said in the interview, a teachers responsibility is teaching a specific
course of material and conveying their knowledge to the students, while a mentor involves more
roles in providing support to the mentee and promoting the mentee's confidence in the
profession, guiding the mentee's career direction, helping the mentee to solve career issues.
Unlike teaching, mentoring is a more long-term process. The relationship between a teacher and
a student comes to an end once the course is completed, while the responsibilities of a mentor
last for longer time. The mentor provides guidance not only for the mentees current work, but
also for the mentees future development in the profession.
The mentor who encountered in the early stage of his/her career would have tremendous
impact on the development of ones future profession.2 Thus effective mentoring is very
important for ones completion and success in the academic and career development. The
mentors conduct and spirit will influence the mentee, who will deem the mentor as a role model
and want to become an expert in their field like the mentor.
There are many characteristics that good or effective mentoring should have. First of all,
the mentor should be willing to share her / his knowledge, skills, expertise, experiences, etc. to
the mentee.1 The mentor should have the commitment and dedicate enough time to the mentoring
practice. Good mentors should ensure their availability to the mentees when help is needed.
A good mentor will not simply give the answers to the mentee. Instead the mentor will
teach the mentee how to think or guide the mentee to solve the problems on their own.1 As the
saying goes, Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach him to fish, he will never go hungry.
Thus a mentor should train the mentee to think independently and find their own solutions. By
doing this way, the mentee abilities of critical thinking and solving more complex problems are
enhanced.
The relationship between mentor and mentee is the key for effective mentoring. A mentor
and his/her mentee should understand each other at first, and then they develop trust and respect.3

A mentor needs to show his/her interest, care, responsibility, as well as respect to his/her mentee.
A good mentor will encourage his/her mentee, promotes his/her confidence and enthusiasm in
the profession, inspires and motivates him/her to set up personal and professional goals, and help
him/her to build up the positive attitude, values, and beliefs.
Since effective communication is the key for a good relationship between a mentor and
his/her mentee, a good mentor should be willing to listen to his/her mentee, communicate with
his/her mentee regularly and give him/her positive feedbacks.1 The mentor will evaluate the
mentee progress periodically and adjust his/her mentoring strategies accordingly.
To help the mentee professional development, the mentor should provide opportunities
for the mentee to be involved in available professional activities. The mentor should also
introduce the mentee to the professional network and help the mentee get connected with the
other faculties and experts in the field.1 The mentor might not answer all the questions raised by
the mentee, however the mentor should direct the mentee to seek another expert who can help. A
good mentor will provide any support and resources to lead his/her mentee to success.
Medical dosimetrists, like other medical professions, require extensive clinical training to
gain experience, as each patient / case is unique. The knowledge learned from courses and books
is not enough to deal with the real clinic situations. An effective mentor would share not only
his/her accumulated experience with his/her mentee, but also the way he/she solves different
problems. I am fortunate to have met several great mentors on my way towards a good Medical
Dosimetrist. I learned not only knowledge, experience from them, but also how to think like a
dosimetrist. They also show good examples of effective mentoring for me, and I hope I could
become a good mentor like them in the near future and pass the baton to the next generation in
the field of Medical Dosimetry.

References:
1. Lenards N. Mentoring. [SoftChalk]. La Crosse, WI: UW-L Medical Dosimetry Program;
2016.
2. Nakamura J, Shernoff DJ, Hooker CH. Good Mentoring: Fostering Excellent Practice in
Higher Education. John Wiley & Sons; 2009.
3. Trad M. Mentoring radiation therapy students: a review and survey. Radiation therapist Fall
2009 vol. 18. No. 2

Appendix A
Mentoring Interview with Patrick McDermott, PhD
Q: What is a mentor? Please define mentoring in your own words.
A: A mentor is an individual that takes an interest in a persons career development. The mentor
provides advice, guidance, encouragement, etc.
Q: Do you think a mentor is different from a teacher? If so, what are the differences between
them?
A: Yes. A teachers responsibilities are more short term and circumscribed. A teacher is
responsible for teaching a specific course of material. A mentor involves a more long term
relationship and is also concerned with professional development.
Q: What qualities does a good mentor have?
A: A mentor needs to have a real interest in the person that they are mentoring. Empathy,
leadership, knowledge of profession helps to promote the individuals career.
Q: Please describe what effective mentoring is to you?
A: A good mentor is someone who takes an interest in your career development. Someone who
encourages you, gives sage advice and helps to promote your career. A mentor is available as a
resource on career matters.
Q: Whats the key to a successful mentoring relationship?
A: Empathy, an interest in helping a new generation of professionals attain success. Willingness
to spend time providing advice and guidance. The individual being mentored must see the
mentor as someone to look up to.
Q: Do you have a good mentor in your profession? What he or she influenced you the most?
A: I have been fortunate to have several good mentors in my career. My PhD thesis advisor spent
a lot of time guiding my development as a physicist. Most importantly he taught me to think like
a physicist.

Appendix B
Mentoring Interview with Frankenfield Anthony, RT(R)(T), CMD
Q: What is a mentor? Please define mentoring in your own words.
A: A mentor is an experienced advisor / consultant by definition. In my words, a mentor is an
experienced colleague that wants to share his talents with someone who is inspired to be an
expert like them.
Q: Do you think a mentor is different from a teacher? If so, what are the differences between
them?
A: Yes, I think a mentor has a more advanced role than a teacher. A mentor inspires a student to
be as talented, if not more talented than themselves.
Q: What qualities does a good mentor have?
A: Positive attitude, willingness to teach their self-made talents, ambition and enthusiasm within
their career, and the drive to nurture their student to success.
Q: Please describe what effective mentoring is to you?
A: Effective mentoring is the ability and willingness to teach what you know to your mentee.
Q: Whats the key to a successful mentoring relationship?
A: The key to successful mentoring is consistent teaching, a relationship of trust in both the
mentor and student, and setting achievable goals.
Q: Do you have a good mentor in your profession? What he or she influenced you the most?
A: Yes, I had a good mentor, and his influence was to never give up on a task that looked
impossible. We also had a great working relationship which kept me focused.