Community
A Constellation of Supporters
Create a self-propagating constellation of mentors, sponsors, coaches, advisors, and other supporters.
Include multiple levels of medical training and professional development.
You don't always learn the "hidden curriculum."
Even something as simple as sharing a shadowing opportunity with a premed can make a difference.
The cut-throat, weed-out culture experienced in medicine starts early.
The key is to make you feel that you belong in the medical community.
We all know that a mentor provides guidance for long term development.
The mentor knows the path the mentee is walking. The mentor knows the important questions the mentee does not yet know to ask.
But is a mentor also a sponsor? Or a teacher? Or a coach, advisor, or near peer?
The one-to-one mentor relationship is important
However, one mentor can not be all the things you need
A mentor may not champion your career success
A mentor may not spend time with you fine-tuning a skill
A mentor may not be able guide you through a specific project
What if you had a wider constellation of supporters?
One person may not provide mentorship in all the areas you need. You may not know all the different supporters you’ll need for the journey.
What if you had a mentor to help you find the right mentors, sponsors, advisors, near peers, coaches and other supporters? What if you had a mentor who showed you the connections between these different supporters?
