Faculty Mentorship in Allied Health Schools: A Program Evaluation of a Mentorship Initiative

Mentorship is an important career development resource for junior faculty and one that may be particularly important for those who begin their career as allied health clinicians before transitioning to academia. To support junior faculty at an allied health school, a formal mentoring program was established within a rehabilitation and counseling department. The program was started in response to a school-wide effort to promote faculty development and increase scholarly productivity. A committee was convened and tasked with matching junior faculty members with experienced mentors. After the mentoring relationships had time to mature, mentors and protégés were surveyed to determine successes as well as drawbacks of the mentoring initiative. Thematic analysis of survey responses indicated that most protégés and mentors had a positive response to the mentoring initiative. Protégés benefitted from receiving support and structure that promoted accountability. They also identified skill development related to teaching and scholarship as a valuable outcome. Mentors described contributing to the growth of protégés as a rewarding experience. While very few negative aspects of the mentoring initiative were identified, lack of time and difficulty coordinating schedules were cited by some respondents. Suggestions for how to improve the mentoring experience were also shared.