Shades of Success Health Science Mentors

Faculty/Staff Leader Summary

Mentorship is important as mentors can potentially provide resources for student commitment to long term goals and to the building of student resilience. SAISD’s CAST-Med school has entered a partnership with UT Health SA (UTHSA). The Health Science Mentors Program is a proposed component of that partnership. A needs assessment survey was conducted with freshman students at CAST Med. The result of that survey indicated that while most of the students were interested in the medical pathway, others were interested in exploring a variety of career fields in the health professions. 85.8% of the students indicated they did not know anyone in a biomedical career and 43% stated they were not familiar with the educational path required for the biomedical careers they hope to attain. This was an opportunity to create a Co-Curricular Interprofessional Education program that will enrich not only the student mentees, but also the professional student mentors. During the sessions, the Mentors implement a virtual curriculum created to address the expressed needs of the CAST Med students, such as improving study skills and developing time management strategies. The curriculum changes each year to address the evolving needs of the mentees, such as discussing the college application process and interview skills in their upperclassman years. Ultimately, we anticipate that through participation in the Health Science Mentors program, we will facilitate the process of sharing knowledge between disciples and across generations, while increasing the diversity of the health professions populations of the future.

IPEC Competency Domain(s)
Communication
Roles & Responsibilities
Teams & Teamwork

IPEC Sub-Competencies Targeted
TT1: Describe evidence-informed processes of team development and team practices.
TT2: Appreciate team members’ diverse experiences, expertise, cultures, positions, power, and roles towards improving team function.
TT4: Use shared leadership practices to support team effectiveness.
TT6: Reflect on self and team performance to inform and improve team effectiveness.
TT7: Share team accountability for outcomes.
TT8: Facilitate team coordination to achieve safe, effective care and health outcomes.
TT9: Operate from a shared framework that supports resiliency, well-being, safety, and efficacy.
TT10: Discuss organizational structures, policies, practices, resources, access to information, and timing issues that impact the effectiveness of the team.
RR3: Incorporate complementary expertise to meet health needs including the determinants of health.
RR4: Differentiate each team member’s role, scope of practice, and responsibility in promoting health outcomes.
RR5: Practice cultural humility in interprofessional teamwork.
C1: Communicate one’s roles and responsibilities clearly.
C2: Use communication tools, techniques, and technologies to enhance team function, well-being, and health outcomes.
C3: Communicate clearly with authenticity and cultural humility, avoiding discipline-specific terminology.
C4: Promote common understanding of shared goals.
C5: Practice active listening that encourages ideas and opinions of other team members.
C6: Use constructive feedback to connect, align, and accomplish team goals.