Career Planning and Mentoring

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Career Planning and Mentoring

• Lari Wenzel, Ph.D.
• Associate Dean for Faculty Development, School
  of Medicine
• Professor of Medicine and Public Health
• Associate Director, Population Science and Cancer
  Control
• University of California, Irvine

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What color is your parachute?
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Have you defined your career priorities?
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The Color of My Parachute
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What is a Mentor?

• From the Greek description by Homer Wise and
  trusted counselor
• Left in charge of the household while Odysseus
  went on his travels.
• Someone who takes a special interest in helping
  another person develop into a successful
  professional

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UCI Graduate Division

• Mentors provide
• Support and respect
• Guidance and advice reliable and professional
• Linkage to academic and campus resources
• Linkage between training and career
• Role modeling upholding highest ethical standards

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Different Types of Mentors
Cartoon from Alexander Dent http//dentcartoons.b
logspot.com/
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Finding a Mentor

• Your dissertation advisor is one mentor, but not
  necessarily the only one
• You can and should find additional mentors
• Other mentors can be faculty, postdocs, other
  students, or anyone whom you respect and trust

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Choosing a Mentor

• Interest in the research
• Compatibility with the mentors personality
• Are students in the group happy and enthusiastic
  about their research?
• How long has it taken previous students to finish?

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Different Types of Mentors
Cartoon from Alexander Dent http//dentcartoons.b
logspot.com/
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Choosing a Mentor

• There are many different types of groups and
  personalities
• Senior professor with a large group
• New assistant professor still setting up
• Consider what type of situation suits your needs

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Obligations of the Mentor

• A commitment to the students development
• Teaching how to be a researcher
• Providing regular feedback
• Career preparation

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Different Types of Students

• Each student is different
• Consider your personality, interests and level of
  independence in choosing a dissertation advisor
• A good fit is critical

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Obligations of the Student

• Responsibility to complete the requirements for
  the degree
• Knowledge about the requirements of the graduate
  program
• Attend and participate in group meetings,
  seminars, etc.
• Diligence and care in the lab and group

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Different Types of Students
Cartoon from Alexander Dent http//dentcartoons.b
logspot.com/
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Obligations of the Student

• Comply with all institutional policies
• Responsible conduct of research
• Development of the dissertation project with your
  advisor
• Regular communication with your advisor

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Communication

• Communicate with your advisor
• Present your results and plans
• Ask for feedback
• Take it graciously and seriously
• Follow it
• People like to be asked and will be flattered if
  you listen

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Personal Meetings

• Frequency depends on the mentors style
• Regularly scheduled, possibly weekly
• Email or phone between meetings
• Initiated by the student
• Dont be timid or shy about asking to meet
• Present new results as you get them
• Ask questions, which can prevent mistakes and
  save time

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Who is your Mentor? How does s/he fit with your
needs and personality? (0worst possible 5best
imaginable)

• Research and scholarly activity
• Reputation
• Independence
• Guidance
• Regular communication
• Job/Post doc leads

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Regular Communication

• Prevents misunderstandings
• You and your advisor should agree on a timeline
  and what is required for completion
• Make sure you know what your advisor expects of
  you. If in doubt, ask.

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Tips to Maximize Mentoring

• Know your goals
• Choose the best mentor(s) to meet those goals
• Begin mentoring relationships by discussing
  mutual goals and expectations
• Be professional
• Learn to accept and give feedback

Lakoski, 8/14/2009, Science Career Magazine
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Tips to Maximize Mentoring

• Take responsibility for your career
• Communicate
• Periodically evaluate if the relationship is
  still effective
• Avoid burning bridges
• Serve as a mentor

Lakoski, 8/14/2009, Science Career Magazine
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Feedback What is the purpose?

• Appreciation you are told how much you are
  valued
• Coaching focus on seeking improvement (e.g.,
  you ask for more direction, learning, changing)
• Evaluation you are told where you stand an
  assessment, ranking or rating

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Your Internal DialogueThe more challenging the
message, the louder the voice

• Constructive i.e., negative .
• Triggers creates reaction (defend, react,
  withdraw) vs accepting (learning, growing)
• Accept and Engage Goal openness and skill

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What is Your Trigger?

• Truth
• I.D. You are WRONG
• Alt Understand and clarify. What has the giver
  observed? In what situations? What did you
  expect me to do, that I didnt do? How would you
  have wanted this to play out? What is expected
  of me in this situation? Where do I/we go from
  here?

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What is Your Trigger?

• Relationship who is delivering this, and what
  do I think of them?
• I.D. they are not credible they do not
  appreciate me theyre not so great either
• Alt. Dont let the who defeat the what (the
  message)
• EXAMPLE

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What Happened?

• You dont listen to me
• You dont appreciate me
• Solution
• Disentangle the feedback from the relationship
  issues it triggers and discuss both, clearly and
  separately

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What is Your Trigger?

• Identity
• All about me my sense of self has come undone
• Questions the most challenging relationship you
  have the relationship with yourself
• Are you distorting the feedback? not smart
  not measuring up
• Solutions 1) be prepared do you typically
  run, fight, deny, exaggerate? 2) separate threads
  fact vs perception? 3) contain the story what
  is the feedback abou, and what is it NOT about?

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How do you get there from here?
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Mentoring Worksheet

• Goal Categories of Research, Teaching, Service,
  Self Development, Networking, Work/Life Balance,
  Additional Mentors
• Goal Met? Making Progress? No Progress?
• Per goal, accomplishments? Obstacles?
• Do you need a new goal or strategy to overcome
  obstacles?

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Individual Development Plan

• Academic Course Planning
• Research Planning
• Conference/Publications Planning
• Career Planning
• Funding Planning
• Leadership Development Planning
• Dissertation Progress Planning

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UCI Individual Development Plan

• Designed as a student planning tool
• Not a formal university requirement, evaluation
  tool or record-keeping document
• Available on the Graduate Division web site
• http//www.grad.uci.edu/academics/mentoring/index.
  html
• http//www.grad.uci.edu/forms/academics/ICP
  form.docx

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Academia Postdoc Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
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Helpful Websites

• School of Medicine Academic Affairs Website
• http//www.som.uci.edu/academic_affairs.html
• Campus Academic Personnel Website 
• http//www.ap.uci.edu  
• Academic Personnel Manual 
• http//www.ap.uci.edu/APM/APM_intro.html
• Council on Academic Personnel
• http//www.senate.uci.edu/Councils/CAP/index.asp
• Tenure Handbook Advice about promotion to
  tenure
• http//www.ap.uci.edu/Guides/faculty/TenureHandboo
  k.pdf

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Does a structured mentoring curriculum improve
research mentoring skills?

• RCT _at_ 16 academic health centers
• Faculty mentors gt50 time
• Rx 8-hr case-based curriculum on 6 mentoring
  competencies
• Primary outcome change in mentors
  self-reported pre-posttest composite scores on
  MCA
• Secondary outcome Change in awareness, mentees
  ratings of mentors competency (MCA), mentoring
  behaviors mentor and mentee

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Results?

• Did this relatively brief intervention work?

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YES!!

• N 283 mentor-mentee pairs
• MCA change gt in Rx group (Plt.001)
• Retrospective change gt (Plt001)
• Change in mentoring practice gt (Plt.001)
• Mentees reported gt change on MCA (P.003) and
  mentors behavior (P.002)
• Pfund et al. Acad Med 201489

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Competency-based training

• Tailored for CTSA mentors and process-based for
  key competencies
• Maintaining effective communication
• Establishing and aligning expectations
• Assessing mentees understanding of scientific
  research
• Addressing diversity within mentoring
  relationships
• Fostering mentees independence
• Promoting mentees professional career
  development