Mentor Information
The importance of Workplace Mentors
CSU Training recognises and appreciates the important role workplace mentors play in guiding the learning of students participating in the Hospital Pharmacy training programs.
Mentoring relationships provide an effective method of learning in the workplace. The unique positive characteristics associated with mentoring as a development method are:
- It facilitates the application of learning in real life contexts
- It induces purposeful change and maximises the return on the investment in learning.
- It fully utilises the notion that learning can be a uniting and mutually beneficial process
- It optimises learning through grounding itself in the cognitive and constructivist approaches to learning.
- It customises the learning experience fully to the mentee, who ought to determine both the subject and the type/style of learning.
(Klasen & Clutterbuck, 2002:18-19)
Who can be mentor?
Ideally the mentor should not be the supervisor.The mentor could be:
- A pharmacy technician or senior pharmacy technician who has HLT40507 Certificate IV in Hospital/ Health Services Pharmacy Support or HLT40502 Certificate IV in health Service Assistance (Hospital/Community Health Pharmacy technician) or
- A pharmacist who is in a position to meet regularly with the trainee to discuss learning and provide coaching in the required work skills
Mentors are required to have completed a CSU Training Workplace Mentor Module.
Role of the mentor
In the CSU Training pharmacy programs, the Mentor’s main role is to guide and support the student in learning the required competencies. A secondary role may be to facilitate the skills development of a colleague who wishes to prepare for a future mentoring role.
Responsibilities of the mentor:
- Completing the CSU Training Workplace Mentor module
- Negotiate with your supervisor or head of department to determine a reallocation of tasks to include mentoring a learner and/or an associate mentor
- Working with the mentee to develop a Contract of Expectations and Learning Plans for each unit of study and identify opportunities for the mentee to learn and apply the competencies in the workplace
- Supporting and guiding the trainee in the workplace through co-ordinating appropriate work experiences, debriefing learning opportunities and assisting with access to resources
- Arranging regular meetings with the mentee to:
- discuss progress and barriers to learning
- debrief the learner and reach mutual agreement on future actions
- check completed work and provide feedback – however the learner is responsible for their own work and may sometimes choose not to incorporate your suggestions
- identify areas for further development
- provide positive and constructive feedback
- Providing a role model of mentoring to colleagues who wish to learn the skills of successful mentoring. The mentor could provide the following opportunities to the associate mentor:
- Initiate a discussion of the learner’s study requirements
- Develop a draft training and study schedule with the learner in consultation with the mentor
- Practice essential mentoring skills such as active listening and questioning techniques
- Propose some relevant training opportunities for the learner
- Facilitating debriefing after a training event
- Provide feedback on the learner’s progress towards competency
- Liaising with the mentee’s supervisor to check progress in application of competencies on the job and identify further learning opportunities
- Liaising with CSU Training to discuss issues of concern in regard to the student’s learning