Guidance for mentees - getting the most out of mentoring:

Mentoring is most likely to be effective when the mentee:

• Takes responsibility for their own learning
• Actively shapes the mentoring conversations
• Accepts challenge
• Is open and honest about themselves
• Has trust in the research mentor
• Is willing to take risks
• Has realistic expectations that are shared and agreed with the mentor

The sorts of conversations that can take place in research mentoring can include:

• Career aspirations
• Blocks and challenges
• Relationships at work
• Learning from mistakes
• Promotion
• Performance issues

For further information take a look at the generic mentoring section on the Imperial College London website.

How to find a mentor in the AHSC

NMAHPPS (Nurses, Midwives, Allied Health Professionals, Healthcare Scientists, Pharmacists and Psychologists) who are currently doing PhDs and are employed by Imperial AHSC member organisations (Imperial College London, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust) are eligible to apply for a mentor through the scheme. The programme was informally launched in 2018 with mentees nominated by AHSC colleagues and then invited to join the programme.  

The programme is now being rolled out more widely to applicants. Colleagues considering applying should read the information on these pages to learn more about mentoring and how it can benefit their research/academic careers. You may also find some helpful generic advice about mentoring on the Imperial College website. If you require any specific information about the AHSC Mentoring for Research Scheme, or if you have any questions, please contact the CATO team.

How the process works

• Once you have made a request for mentoring you will be offered a choice of potential research mentors based on your preferences; this process is called matching. The pool of research mentors will be searched for individuals with experience or expertise relevant to your request who have capacity to take on a research mentee. In general you will be matched with mentors who work in a different area to you. If you would specifically like to speak to someone who has knowledge of your narrow area of work then please indicate this on your form.

• You will be sent the profiles of a few available mentors who match your requirements. Once you have made a choice about who you would like to mentor you, we will put you in touch with each other.

• You will be contacted 6 months from the start of the mentoring relationship in order for you to be able to feed back about how you are finding the sessions and the scheme.

• Whether you have a specific situation on which you would like guidance, or would like a longer term association with a mentor, get in touch and we will do our best to find you a match. You can keep seeing your mentor for up to two years, but if you feel that you have a reached a point where you no longer require mentoring before then, please let the research mentoring coordinator know. This will enable the services of that mentor to be made available to other members of staff.