Jason C. Hoffmann, MD, is an IR and director of the diagnostic radiology residency program at NYU Winthrop Hospital. He serves as vice chair of the mentorship subcommittee of SIR’s Student and Resident Committee. He has mentored numerous medical students and residents, both locally and nationally, with the help of SIR’s Mentor Match online platform. He is interested in increasing awareness of the importance of mentorship through educational projects, presentations and manuscripts.
What challenges have you encountered surrounding mentorship?
Despite increasing awareness of the important role mentoring plays in medical training, many departments do not have specific mentorship programs or guidelines. As a result, time spent mentoring often occurs outside of regular work hours or in addition to standard academic responsibilities. Mentoring time may then appear to compete with other important aspects of our careers, including patient care, research and teaching. Thus, challenges can include having limited time to dedicate to mentoring, feeling lost in terms of how mentoring fits into an academic program, and potential confusion regarding the goals of a mentoring program in a department.
Given time constraints, how do you manage these challenges? Has there been any dedicated time or support at your institution?
Yes, finding time can be a significant challenge. In my experience, most mentoring programs in radiology do not have dedicated time and/or funds to support mentoring meetings. However, as the IR community embraces mentorship, hopefully its value will be more widely recognized and it will be better supported at the local/institutional level.
That said, being a good mentor does not necessarily mean you must spend large amounts of time with the mentee. Being available, approachable, engaged and supportive is key. Some interactions may occur via text or email, while certainly many others occur in person. Some may be a brief conversation, while others may occur over lunch or dinner. A successful mentor is able to balance the demands on time.
At my institution, we are evaluating our mentorship program and identifying ways to make it more robust and truly supported by the department. We plan to implement a few social and educational events each year that focus on key concepts of mentorship. We hope that they will stimulate more interest by our trainees and faculty.
In addition, I gave a lecture to our faculty and residents last spring that discussed key concepts in mentorship such as feedback and constructive criticism. Moving forward, this will be an annual lecture. We also encourage our faculty to participate in faculty development programs and mentorship initiatives that are offered at our hospital, as well as through such national organizations as SIR and the Association of University Radiologists.
How do you establish goals for a mentoring relationship?
My goal is to understand what the mentee hopes to gain from the relationship, discuss whether these expectations are reasonable and, if so, work to fulfill the expectations. The role of the mentor is complex, but essential components include aspects of career guidance, teaching basic knowledge, providing research opportunities and guidance, and providing personal advice on topics such as time management, wellness, work-life balance, research productivity and communication.
I am fortunate to have been involved in many successful mentoring relationships that have met and/or exceeded initial goals. Time spent on a mentoring relationship is absolutely worthwhile and seeing the positive impact it has on trainees has given me endless inspiration and career fulfillment, thus helping me to keep my passion for and commitment to medical education as strong as ever!
What helps you to structure your relationship and/or glean the most benefit?
Each mentoring relationship is unique, and creating a supportive, encouraging, constructive environment is essential for success. Each individual mentoring relationship should be focused on achieving specific career-oriented goals based on how the personal relationship develops. However, each mentoring relationship should be based on mutual agreement and respectful, cordial, reciprocal interactions. Being readily accessible, nonjudgmental and open to discussion will increase the likelihood of a mentorship relationship’s success.
What are some ways in which you have incorporated sponsorship into your mentoring activities? How do you recommend that aspiring mentors not only mentor their trainees and colleagues but sponsor them to enable further success?
Sponsorship is also an important topic. A sponsor is someone, often at the same institution as the beneficiary, who serves as an advocate. A sponsor typically has a more direct role in advocating for advancement and development of the protege (i.e., earning raises, promotions and positions of leadership). A sponsor has more of a defined, concrete role in helping the protege learn about, seek out and obtain promotions.
At our institution, faculty who serve as resident mentors also typically serve as a sponsor. Our mentors advocate for their mentees by keeping them informed about various educational, research and leadership opportunities that are available. The ability to act on behalf of the mentee/protege, not just advise, is a key concept in sponsorship.
Aspiring mentors can certainly serve as both traditional mentors and sponsors by committing themselves to act on behalf of their mentee/protege. A mentor would be expected to work with the mentee to build confidence, navigate difficult situations, and develop strategies to be successful in the department. However, a mentor who also serves as a sponsor takes action by connecting the mentee/protege to advancement opportunities, publicly supporting and endorsing the protege, actively helping the protege to navigate obstacles and barriers, and advocating directly on their behalf.
