Mentoring new social work faculty:a gerontological perspective.

Area of Science:

• Geriatric social work
• Faculty development
• Mentoring models

Background:

• Academic geriatric social work needs expanded faculty leadership.
• Existing mentoring models are effective but underutilized in social work.
• The impact of long-distance mentoring combined with institutional sponsorship is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel mentoring model for developing geriatric social work faculty.
• To explore the conceptual underpinnings of this strategic approach.
• To present preliminary evaluation data on the model's effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• Development of a strategic mentoring model by the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Gerontological Society of America.
• Implementation of the Faculty Scholars Program utilizing national and institution-based mentoring.
• Ongoing evaluation of the mentoring model and its components.

Main Results:

• The Faculty Scholars Program is actively building leadership in academic geriatric social work.
• The described mentoring model integrates long-distance and institution-based approaches.
• Evaluation data is being collected to assess the model's strengths and limitations.

Conclusions:

• The developed mentoring model offers a structured approach to increasing geriatric faculty capacity in social work.
• Further evaluation is needed to fully understand the impact and optimize the model.
• This initiative represents a significant step in advancing academic geriatric social work.