MEDICAL EDUCATION
Notes for Primary Care Teachers
MENTORING – A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
KS Chng, MBBS(S'pore), MCGP(M'sia), FAFP(M'sia), FRACGP, AM
Dr Chng Kooi Seng is the Chief Mentor of the Vocational Training Programme of the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia
Address for correspondence: Dr Chng Kooi Seng, Klinik Chng, 11, Jalan Bayu 2, Taman Perindustrian Tampoi Jaya, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. Tel: 07-2364600. Email: chngkooiseng@yahoo.com
Editor’s note: This article is rewritten based on: Chng KS. Mentoring for the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia. Family Physician. 2000;11(1&2):16-7.
Chng KS. Mentoring – a personal experience. Malaysian Family Physician. 2007;2(2):79-80
The word "mentor" is of Greek origin, derived from Mentor, the trusted counsellor of Odysseus, and who subsequently became the guardian and teacher of Telemachus. Hence in the modern context, the dictionary definition of "mentor" is "a wise and trusted counsellor or teacher".
What is mentoring?
As a mentor with the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia, I wear several hats - tutor, role model, counsellor, friend and father figure. Most of the time, my role as a tutor is paramount but the other roles are just as important. Once, a candidate who was in his late forties called me up late at night just a few days before the Conjoint Examination. He was in a state of panic and desperation as he was unable to memorise factual details. I spent more than 30 minutes counselling him. I was relieved when I was able to reassure him and help him regain his self-confidence. Subsequently he did very well in the examination.
Mentor sessions in Johor Bahru, which started more than 17 years ago, are small group teaching sessions. The young doctors have the most to gain from these interactive sessions. Mutual trust and confidence between mentor and mentee is of great importance for the learning sessions to succeed.
What do mentors do?
Besides good teaching skills and commitment, I need to be a resource person as well. The Vocational Training Programme (VTP) provides limitedfunds for additional work like clinical teaching. In Johor Bahru, such activities are organised mainly with contribution from the mentees and mentors themselves. These activities include clinical teaching sessions at Hospital Sultanah Aminah Johor Bahru, tutorials and interactive workshops. Occasionally printed copies of relevant articles from various journals were handed out to supplement the modules. Needless to say, carrying out these activities require a great deal of commitment and dedication.Getting started
A mentor prior to starting his first session will encounter some psychosocial problems. I will highlight some of them:
- How much time will I have to do this?
- Will I be able to do it well?
- Do I have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to do it?
- How will my colleagues regard me?
- Will there be negative reactions from my colleagues?
- Will I be embarrassed and have difficulty in coping if my mentees experience personal, emotional or professional problems?
- What if the mentee do not get along with me?
- Will the Academy give me sufficient backup and moral support?
- What can go wrong?
- How will it end?
The potential mentor will have to deal with all these issues before getting started. Happily, I have to report that my mentees gave me the least problems.
What can go wrong and what can be done?
Problems may arise from the mentees. Stressful life events like pregnancy, marital and family problems, can be a source of distress. Some of the mentees are older and wealthy doctors who have been managing well established practices for a long time. They might object to being under a more junior mentor who is financially weaker and not as established. Other mentees have gender bias, e.g. uncomfortable with a female mentor. The system of interactive tutorials is not acceptable to some doctors who feel that the only way to learn is through the traditional didactic method. Personality clashes can and often occur. Having alternative mentors can solve this problem. Hostility and envy from other colleagues may mean that younger mentors need support to handle this problem.
