PharmD Faculty Advisor Program

From UBC Wiki

Description

The UBC PharmD Faculty Advisor Program is designed to provide opportunities for PharmD students to be mentored by experienced clinical faculty.

About Mentorship

Mentoring is “a dynamic and non-competitive nurturing process that promotes independence, autonomy, and self-actualization in the protégé while fostering a sense of pride and fulfillment, support, and continuity in the mentor.” [Valdez & Lund J Contin Ed Nurs 1993;24:259-63]

Outstanding mentors: (1) exhibit admirable personal qualities, including enthusiasm, compassion, and selflessness; (2) act as a career guide, offering a vision but purposefully tailoring support to each mentee; (3) make strong time commitments with regular, frequent, and high-quality meetings; (4) support personal/professional balance; and (5) leave a legacy of how to be a good mentor through role modelling. [Am J Med 2011;124;453-458].

What mentorship can provide for Students

  • increased independence, self-confidence, decision-making skills, problem-solving skills, job skills
  • enhancement of the PharmD program experience
  • enhanced and more nuanced outlook and attitudes about the profession
  • increased appreciation of the value of mentorship, which they can perpetuate
  • opportunity to spend time with influential people

What mentorship can provide for Mentors

  • opportunities for reflective thinking
  • personal satisfaction
  • collaboration and collegiality
  • the opportunity to have a positive, lasting effect on an individual practitioner's life
  • the chance to help shape the profession and improve the quality of future practitioners

PharmD Students

Photos, bios, and email info for the UBC PharmD Class of 2017.

Faculty Advisor <-> Student Pairs - PharmD Class of 2018


Faculty Advisor <-> Student Pairs - PharmD Class of 2017

Matching Process

Students are encouraged to meet with the eligible advisors to learn about them and determine who might be a good match for them. Eligible advisors are encouraged to make themselves as available as possible for this.

On or before October 5, 2016, Students must email the Director with their TOP 4 (in rank order) preference list faculty advisors.

As soon as possible thereafter, the Director will notify Advisor-Student pairs of the match. Students and advisors are encouraged to commence their interactions immediately afterward.

Matching principles:

  1. Give the students their first-choice Advisor
  2. Ideally, Advisors would have only one student
  3. When 1 & 2 are in conflict, assign max TWO students to a single Advisor, only AFTER confidentially asking that Advisor whether they can accommodate that arrangement.
  4. If the Advisor declines to have two students, give one of the students a lower-choice Advisor, which will result in that Advisor having more students than they otherwise would (1 or 2), and repeat #3 if necessary.
  5. Sometimes, some of our advisors are not ranked by the students, and because of #1, we won't force a match with them unless absolutely necessary. We are thankful to all our Faculty who volunteer to be Advisors.

The pairs are intended to work together through program completion by the student.

Nothing about the Faculty Advisor Program is intended to discourage students from seeking support, advice, or mentoring from whomever they wish during the program. Dr. Patricia Gerber, in her role as Program Director, provides additional support, direction, guidance and mentorship to all the students

Guidelines

for Advisors

  • maintain an open line of communication, whether face-to-face, by phone, or e-mail
  • upon the request of the student, be willing to discuss issues of importance to the student, such as challenges faced, evaluation or performance hiccups, career decisions, rotation choices, etc.
  • attend the student's PharmD Seminar presentations
  • maintain confidentiality of interactions with students

for Students

  • have realistic expectations of mentor, within the framework of this guide
  • keep advisor informed of important events in their PharmD life
  • maintain confidentiality of interactions with mentor

Getting the Most our of your Advisor-Student Relationship

The following resources are offered to not as a prescription to advisors or students, but as resources either advisors or students may find helpful in getting the most out of the advisor-student relationship.

Focus for Advisors:

  • ask “powerful questions”
  • be a resource, catalyst, facilitator, idea generator, networker, and problem-solver, not necessarily a person with all the answers.
  • help the student solve problems
  • share personal experiences, successes and failures

Things to talk about:

  • The profession and the local, provincial, national context
  • How are you progressing in the program? What's working and not working?
  • Year2 rotation selection
  • What were the students' personal goals and objectives for coursework or rotations completed? Were they met?
  • What’s happening with the student's ePortfolio?
  • Presentation skills
  • Critical appraisal skills
  • What are two areas you wish to improve (identified by student and advisor)? How will you do it?
  • Career options and opportunities

Tips for Students to get the most out of the relationship:

  • Prior to your first meeting with your advisor, write down at least three things you would like to achieve through the relationship.
  • Share your ePortfolio with your mentor (eg, email the URL). This can provide an insightful basis for discussion, progress, and understanding.
  • Share your reasons for doing the PharmD program, and what your main goals are in doing it.
  • Your advisor likely has much to offer and a tight time schedule. Dealing with time is a key aspect of the success of mentoring. Make sure you are clear about your needs/desires.
  • The focus of most successful mentoring is mutual learning. Feel free to explore what you have to offer the advisor.
  • A sense of humor and a sense of enjoyment of your time together are important.
  • Recognizing your changing needs and finding a respectful way to meet your learning goals are one of the keys to successful mentoring.

Other mentorship resources: http://www.mentors.ca

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