“In order to be a mentor, and an effective one, one must care. You must care. You don’t have to know how many square miles are in Idaho, you don’t need to know what is the chemical makeup of chemistry, or of blood or water. Know what you know and care about the person, care about what you know and care about the person you’re sharing with.” — Maya Angelou
Our goal is to build a mentorship program to help guide professionals in navigating the complexities of career advancement, intentionality in choices of career path, professional development, professional profile, and skills in communication and connection. We aspire to make AMIA mentorship an inspiring experience for both parties and believe that the mentor/mentee relationship is mutually enriching.
AMIA defines mentorship as a relationship between two people with the goal of two-way professional and personal development. A successful mentor supports the growth and the goals of the mentee – sharing knowledge, experience, resources, and providing guidance, without necessarily prescribing a set course of action. A successful mentee communicates proactively and effectively, shares goals and concerns, and gives feedback to their mentor.
AMIA’s Mentorship Program is in its pilot year in conjunction with AMIA’s Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship Program (ADIFP). In this pilot, the formal AMIA mentor relationship lasts for four months from August 5th – December 5th 2020, but we envision that mentorship relationships could continue well beyond that date.
AMIA’s Mentorship Handbook provides a program overview as well as clear expectations for both mentors and mentees. The handbook is a resource for all of those participating in the program and includes the following –