How HIAE Used Mentorship to Retain Early-Tenure Physicians

DNA Einstein Mindmap: HIAE’s online resource hub for physicians

HIAE created an online resource hub in the form of a learning map, a graphical organizer that provides a visual representation of how various concepts and resources are ‘mapped’ together. This learning map links to existing HIAE online resources, as well as webpages dedicated to the mentorship program. (For examples of how the learning map looks, see our supporting artifacts on p.13 of the PDF.) The goals of the learning map included:

• To create a single, comprehensive repository of just-in-time resources related to employment questions and professional development resources.
• To provide mentors with an easy, navigable resource they could easily refer mentees to without having to spend mentoring time on web searches.
• To provide an online repository where mentors could log and submit session reports after each mentor-mentee discussion. The human resources department (HR) can track the number of reports and make sure the required 8 to 12 sessions are completed.

Mentees deeply appreciate the ease and accessibility of having all their online resources located in one place, especially given how many websites and portals most employees must navigate early in their career. But the most important use of the learning map is that it enables mentees to ‘self-service’ most knowledge-based questions about HIAE. As a result, mentor-mentee discussions can be focused on meaningful discussion about soft-skill development, career goals, and overall workplace engagement.

Examples of topics covered in the DNA Einstein Mindmap

For any organization attempting to create a physician mentorship program, a challenge is getting tenured physicians to find the time to act as mentors. At HIAE, the job descriptions of medical coordinators in the emergency department were changed to reflect the official expectation of providing mentorship and coaching to more junior colleagues. As a result, medical coordinators viewed participation in the mentorship program not as an additional, optional ask, but as a requisite part of their jobs.

Excerpt from HIAE Medical Coordinator Job Description (translated)

Job responsibilities

Responsibilities

• “…that you will counsel and help train newer doctors…”
• “…you will act as a resource and point of contact for new doctors.”

Secure physician buy-in by having executives set mentorship expectation

Prior to rollout of the mentorship program, the president/CEO of HIAE sent regular communications to senior physicians emphasizing the importance of the mentorship program. This reinforced the expectation that senior staff would actively participate as mentors. Additionally, at the end of the first round of the mentorship program, HIAE’s president/CEO recognized each mentor at a public ceremony. This form of recognition continues, with the CEO presiding over quarterly ceremonies for mentors and mentees. Former participants in the mentorship program may attend as well, helping to create a lasting community of program participants.

Lastly, a major part in securing buy-in to the mentorship program was that the overall time commitment would be manageable. Mentors are expected to devote roughly one hour a month during work hours to meet with their mentee over the first 8 to 12 months of tenure. The ideal goal is to meet for roughly 10 to 12 sessions, with 8 being the bare minimum for completion. The range was set up deliberately to build flexibility into the scheduling of the sessions and recognize that mentee and mentor physicians have busy, unpredictable schedules.

New mentors go through two training sessions to help them build their mentorship skills. The sessions are run by HR colleagues and former physician mentors, under a model called “mentors training mentors.” The classes focus on:

• Knowing how to navigate mentorship tools and resources
• Understanding the mentor-mentee contractual agreement and being able to explain its various provisions to mentees
• Developing a personal mentorship style that enables mentors to speak about their own personal growth and past experiences

The training sessions cover both mentorship/coaching theory and personal testimonials and tips from former mentors. The testimonial part of the training is effective at teaching mentors how to navigate conflict, provide affirmation to early-tenure physicians, and approach mentorship sessions with vulnerability.

Additionally, mentors fill out a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test and develop a personal profile. The goal of this exercise is to better understand how personality interplays with professional development. It helps to equip mentors with the self-awareness needed to navigate their mentor-mentee relationships.

Overall, the training sessions are designed to prepare mentors for several goals:

• Understand how to share personal experiences of career challenges and development in a mentorship setting
• Ensure that the mentorship session represents a conversation between mentor and mentee, rather than a presentation by the mentor
• Provide mentors with an understanding of the most common difficulties that early-tenure physicians report facing and how mentors can help address them

The first mentorship session is scheduled when a newly hired physician finishes clinical onboarding. During this session, both parties sign a mentorship contract. There are several important components of the contract:

• Confidentiality clause
  Both parties agree that all discussions during mentorship sessions will be entirely confidential and may not be divulged. Mentors and mentees are not allowed to serve in the same workstream, and the confidentiality clause is designed to reinforce a safe learning environment that will not impact performance evaluation for mentees.
• Acknowledgement of program schedule
  The mentee and mentor acknowledge the mentorship program schedule of one hour each month for 8 to 12 months and agree to prioritize these sessions.
• Mentorship guidelines agreement
  This agreement asks mentees to acknowledge mentorship guidelines, including the recognition that the focus of mentorship is on professional development and not behavioral health support.
• Results of values assessment
  Each mentee is presented with a self-assessment of 20 professional values and chooses the three that most define them. These values are then shared with the mentor during the first session as a way of creating a “common language” around professional development.