Who is a mentee?
A mentee is an individual who receives advice, assistance and feedback from a more experienced person over a set period of time, resulting in the enhancement of the mentee’s educational graduate studies. The mentee must have clear goals and be willing to accept guidance and advice in order for the relationship to be successful. A mentee is open to constructive feedback and has a desire to learn and develop new skills to progress in their graduate education.
What Does a Mentee Do?
A mentee takes primary responsibility for coordinating the mentoring process based on one’s educational goals and aspirations. The mentee will:
Initiate meetings and arrive for the first meeting with personal aims and goals clear for the academic year ahead
Develop a mentoring plan and goals
Negotiate the specifics of the mentoring plan with the mentor
Communicating one’s goals clearly
Actively seek advice from the mentor
Honestly disclose frustrations, concerns and successes
Honour one’s commitments to the mentoring program
Actively listen and learn
Be open to advice and suggestions
Benefits to Mentees
A mentor can provide you valuable insight into the world of nursing graduate education (i.e. How many hours should I devote to GRA/GTA? How do I choose an advisor and supervisor?)
A mentor can provide guidance during times of change and transition
Lasting relationships and professional networks
A mentorship relationship can help the mentee to clarify their academic, professional and personal goals
A mentor can be an impartial, independent voice; someone to bounce ideas off of
Expectations of Mentees
A commitment to the importance of the mentoring relationship and a willingness to treat it as a priority
A minimum investment of 1 meeting per academic semester (Fall and Winter)
A commitment to regular communications and interactions, agreed upon in advance
Maintaining confidentiality and terms outlined in the mentorship agreement
Willingness to participate in any evaluations of the mentorship program
A commitment to positivity and encouragement throughout the mentorship process
An understanding that the mentorship relationship is not a tutoring service, however if the mentee needs support with practical work, the mentor can help the mentee find a tutor
Will contact the Mentor Us leadership team if the match is not appropriate or if the mentee is unable to reach the mentor
CONSIDERATIONS
Boundaries for Mentors and Mentees:
The mentoring relationship should be always considered a professional relationship.
The Mentor cannot provide counselling to the Mentee regarding their mental or physical health. If you are experiencing concerns related to your mental or physical wellbeing, please see our resource page for links that will guide you to locally available resources.
Mentors cannot provide financial counselling to Mentees. If you have questions regarding your financials, please see the FGSR Financial Support page.
The Mentee is not allowed to ask their Mentor to share academic materials that go against the University of Alberta’s Code of Student Behavior.
CREDIT: Adapted from ECO Canada Mentorship Package