The fourth formal IIOP Mentoring Programme was launched in October 2023.
Mentoring is a key component of professional development and personal growth. It is a supportive, nurturing relationship; a sounding board that enables someone through a transition in learning. The relationship may cover a variety of contexts and when successful, it benefits all.
This evidence based, formal yet flexible programme is for pharmacists by pharmacists. Designed to suit the life of a busy pharmacist, a structure is provided which is flexible and personalised to the mentoring pair. It is tailored for pharmacists working in all practice areas and is the first of its kind offered to pharmacists in Ireland.
Together, we are working to create a culture of mentorship within the Irish pharmacy profession. As we work through times of change and innovation, we can support each other in a way that is difficult to achieve through other means.
The current Mentoring Programme kicked off with mentor and mentee onboard training and the introduction of mentoring pairs in early December. A total of 30 pairs were matched through the current programme.
To date more than 150 pharmacists have completed the mentoring skills training delivered by Kingston College and are eligible to be mentors.
Pharmacists from all sectors and all career stages applied for this current programme. Matching of the mentors and mentees was completed by the programme team based on mentee preferences, mentor experience, personality descriptors and diversity. The mentoring pairs reflected the breadth of the profession with both inter and intra practice area matching.
To give you an idea of how it works, on average, mentoring pairs meet for 60 minutes every three to four weeks, outside of work, with time spent on preparation and reflection in addition to this.
Our programme is flexible by nature with orientation training and ongoing support provided by the programme team. Pharmacists involved previously fed back that mentoring gave them energy and that they looked forward to the sessions in their week. Other outcomes were:
100% of pharmacists involved said the programme met their expectations and that they would want to be involved in continued mentoring initiatives;
Improvements were seen in confidence and competence with reflective practice for the mentees;
Improvements were seen for the mentors in their mentoring skills such as setting clear goals, acknowledging strengths, setting expectations, and asking powerful questions.
Want to get involved?
Check out our mentoring portal on the website where you can find more information about mentoring, how you can get involved, and links to additional resources. Keep an eye on our social media for updates and ways to get involved. The next Mentorship Skills for Pharmacists workshop on the 6 December 2023. Apply through the Mentoring Portal This will be a full one-day workshop taking place from 10am to 4.30pm and will be delivered online by Kingstown College. As always, we would love to hear from you. You can get in touch at our dedicated email address mentoring@iiop.ie.
