Mentoring in Our Lives—the Voices of Students and Maternal and Child Health Professionals is the newest resource for the National Center for Cultural Competence feature on Mentoring— an Evidence-based Strategy to Increase the Number of Students and Faculty from Racial and Ethnic Groups Underrepresented in Maternal and Child Health Training Programs. This resource offers excerpts from interviews with students and maternal and child health professionals from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in MCH Training programs telling their own stories about the role mentoring has played in their lives. Their stories reflect themes similar to those identified in the literature review completed for this project and in our previous conversations with students and junior faculty. Their stories bring the literature findings to life and present the importance of mentoring in their respective journeys to becoming healthcare and public health professionals.
Let’s meet the students and MCH professionals we interviewed before we hear their stories. Their titles reflect where they were in their journeys at the time of our interviews.
A theme throughout the literature and our previous conversations with students and junior faculty was the impact of early life circumstances on the need for mentoring. Students and faculty from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in MCH training programs often report a variety of reasons for the importance of mentoring based on their early life experiences. For many coming from communities with low socioeconomic status and families where no one had taken the career paths they have chosen mentoring has been crucial for their academic and career development. For others, specifics of their family constellation contributed to the importance of mentoring. Listen to these voices:
Throughout the literature and our previous conversations with students and junior faculty, two common themes emerged about the importance of mentors for students and faculty from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in Maternal and Child Health training programs. The first was the role of mentors in helping young people recognize their potential and skills to follow their current academic or career paths. Intertwined with that role was the important way in which mentors helped their mentees through the practical steps toward their goals.
In some cases this mentoring came from informal sources—people they encountered in their journeys took an interest in their development. Listen to these voices.
Others benefited from structured mentoring programs. Listen to these voices.
Throughout the literature and our previous conversations with students and junior faculty, an important role of mentors for students and faculty from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in Maternal and Child Health training programs was helping them manage personal issues that could impact their success. Listen to these voices:
Throughout the literature and our previous conversations with students and junior faculty, an important role of mentors for students and faculty from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in Maternal and Child Health training programs was providing exposure to career possibilities and providing concrete advice and assistance in navigating the academic systems where they train and pursue their career goals. In addition, mentors shared their wisdom on how to prioritize time to best meet ultimate career goals.
Mentors helped with career choices. Listen to these voices:
Mentors provided guidance with navigating academic and career systems on their journeys. Listen to these voices:
Mentors provided advice on setting priorities. Listen to these voices:
We asked our interviewees how they would describe mentoring and the qualities of a good mentor. Again their experiences mirror those described in the literature and what we learned from previous conversations with students and faculty from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in Maternal and Child Health training programs.
What are the qualities of a good mentor? Listen to these voices:
The benefits of mentoring are enhanced with multiple types of mentors. Listen to these voices:
The literature and what we learned from previous conversations with students and faculty from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in Maternal and Child Health training programs address the advantages of mentors who are concordant based on factors such as race, ethnicity, culture and gender as well as what can be gained within the context of a cross-cultural mentoring experience. Our interviewees were asked their views on this issue. Listen to these voices:
One focus of the National Center for Cultural Competence feature Mentoring as an Evidence-based Strategy to Increase the Number of Students and Faculty from Racial and Ethnic Groups Underrepresented in Maternal and Child Health Training Programs was to provide information about how to incorporate mentoring. We asked our interviewees to provide advice to those training programs considering employing or expanding mentoring efforts.
In addition to asking our interviewees for advice for training programs, we asked them to share their thoughts about mentoring with others beginning their journeys toward their career and life goals.
Be engaged in seeking mentors
How to get the most out of the relationship
Final Wisdom
