Designing a system of mentorship in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

As you know, one of the new programs ofthe medical universities is to familiarizethe students to the medical atmosphere withthe help of compassionate and experienceduniversity professors. The program is plannedand implemented under the title of mentorship,in which an experienced instructor takes theresponsibility of orientation, guidance and problemsolving of a number of students. The studentsat the time of admission face some problems,usually due to the young age, unfamiliarity withthe university context, the amount of the texts,etc.; therefore, they feel somehow defenselessin this atmosphere. In this program, which waslongitudinal and often causes a long-term andfriendly relationship between the professor andstudents during the education years, these problemsof students discuss with teachers (Mentor) andin this interact somewhat elevated. To do theappropriate implementation of this concept inthe university, the university was required to befamiliar with the concept of mentorship at the firststep (1). So, the Education Development Center ofShiraz University of Medical Sciences (EDC) hasimplemented this issue in a series of educationalfellowship workshops for the professors ofpostgraduate levels.In teaching this concept, the Jowhari model(Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham famous model)(2) has attracted the attention of authoritiesand professors of this period. In educating theconcept of mentoring, the development of selfgeneralizationwindow of the professors wasconsidered. Because this section covers theability of communication and flexibility in theleadership of the individuals, development ofthe window (area) decreases the incidence ofconflicts and misunderstandings and strugglesbetween individuals in this regard. To developthis area, there was an attempt in this period thatthe professors get familiar with the two methodsof self-openness and feedback. This educationalprogram was a pilot which was implementedin the country for the first time in one of thefellowship programs for the faculty members.Then, according to the results and positivefeedbacks, it was applied more extensively. Sofar, this subject has been trained in 5 differentfellowship training courses of the professors inthe form of diverse topics, such as the mentorshipconcept in educating the students, counseling andmentoring models and evaluation and feedbackprinciples. The results of the training showsachievement of the educational goals (85%),applicability of the educational materials (93%),and relevance of the educational environment (78%) in the universities. So, due to the newnessof this concept in the country and the necessityof its performance, doing more studies onthe improvement of this concept in the otherprofessor of this university seems necessary.