Building stronger foundations: exploring a collaborative faculty mentoring workshop for in-depth growth.

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Faculty Development
• Mentorship Programs

Background:

• Mentorship training requires a practical approach, focusing on mentor and mentee preparation through self-awareness and professional development planning.
• Limited evidence exists from global south health professions institutions on workshop effectiveness in fostering mentorship culture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To emphasize the importance of faculty mentoring programs, roles, and responsibilities.
• To educate faculty members on developing personal development plans for effective mentorship.
• To assess participant perceptions of institutional roles in mentorship.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-method study using a convergent parallel design.
• A collaborative mentoring workshop titled "Faculty Mentoring-Building stronger by digging deeper" was conducted.
• Data collection included pre-workshop demographics, in-workshop SWOT analysis and goal setting, and post-workshop online feedback; analysis involved ANOVA and thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• 37 faculty members participated, rating the workshop satisfactory.
• Hands-on practice positively impacted goal setting and action plan development for mentors and mentees.
• Key themes identified: Faculty Mentorship Program, Personal Development Plan, and Building Positive Mentor-Mentee Relationships.

Conclusions:

• Pakistani medical faculty at all career levels are interested in formal mentoring programs.
• Participants recommended formal training and institutional cultivation of a supportive mentorship culture.
• Effective mentorship programs are crucial for academic professional growth and shaping future generations.