Mentoring

Mentoring schemes at Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences

Objectives

Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences (KL) introduced the mentoring schemes for the Medical Science bachelor and Human Medicine master programmes to promote informal knowledge transfer among students and between students and teaching staff. The goals are to assist students with matters related to their studies and future career paths, and provide opportunities to build up both regional and international networks.

Participation

Mentors (the advisory role) and mentees (who can draw on the experience of their mentors) are matched up through the university’s selection process on the basis of profiles generated by the participants themselves. The members of the resulting mentoring groups agree among themselves exactly how they will collaborate during the course of the academic year and determine the areas to be addressed. Participation is voluntary for both mentors and mentees and is separate from regular teaching.

Each mentor is responsible for a group of between three and 10 students. The groups are formed during the first few weeks of the winter semester and remain unchanged for the whole of the academic year. Mentors complete a one-off introductory training and feedback seminar held at the beginning of the academic year to ensure that they are well prepared for their advisory role.

There is no formal compulsory attendance requirement for mentees as participation in the scheme is voluntary. Mentees can leave their mentoring group during the year, but may not change groups.

Peer mentoring on the Medical Science bachelor programme

The mentoring scheme on the Medical Science bachelor programme is intended to help participants find their feet in their new role as students and provide assistance during the first stage of their studies. This promotes quick integration into day-to-day student life and an efficient start to the degree programme.

Peer mentors

Peer mentors are students on the Medical Science bachelor programme or the Human Medicine master programme who have reached at least their third year of study. They help the mentees to develop and fulfil their potential, and pass on the knowledge and skills that they have acquired on their degree programmes up to that point. The role of peer mentors is to

share their experiences.
pass on know-how related to university and professional life and the challenges it can pose.
give specific advice and support.
use their networks and the information at their disposal to help new students find their feet.
recognise the skills that their mentees possess and the potential they show.
clearly communicate their expectations with respect to the scheme (e.g. organisation, objectives and mentee contributions).
liaise with each other and organise events for multiple groups (e.g. themed evenings, presentations by experts and excursions).
take part in the university training seminars and optional supervision sessions.
provide KL with feedback on their mentoring activities and other degree programme related matters.

Scheduling

At least one mentoring group meeting should take place every month, and the mentor is responsible for fixing the duration and location. An interim report in the form of brief minutes of the meetings must be handed in at the end of the winter semester, as well as a final report at the end of the academic year.

Accreditation of supervision for peer mentors

Mentors who supervise groups over multiple years may be awarded points for meeting criteria for a KL scholarship.

Recognition of participation for mentees

Participation in the mentoring scheme is included as a voluntary extracurricular activity in the transcript of records.

Senior mentoring on the Human Medicine master programme

The mentoring scheme on the Human Medicine master programme provides students with support during their period of study at the university hospitals, especially with respect to developing and fine-tuning professional profiles, career plans and regional and international networks. The scheme enables mentees to gain a more in-depth understanding of interrelationships that exist in clinical practice. It also helps to boost motivation and improve self-evaluation, as well as promoting development of specific career plans.

Senior mentors

Senior mentors are heads of the clinical departments, specialists or post-doctoral qualification candidates. They act as advisers, helping mentees to develop and realise their potential. The role of a senior mentor is to

identify the competences that their mentees possess and help them to fulfil their potential.
pass on know-how about research and science and the related challenges.
share their experience of university and professional life and the challenges it can pose.
give specific advice and support.
clearly communicate their expectations with respect to the scheme (e.g. organisation, objectives and mentee contributions).
liaise with each other.
take part in training offered by the university (e.g. compulsory introductory training and optional supervision sessions).
provide the university with feedback on their ongoing mentoring activities.

Scheduling

Senior mentors are responsible for agreeing the dates and times of appointments and details of mentoring activities with their mentees. Groups also decide for themselves where meetings take place and how long they last. At least one mentoring group meeting should take place every month. An interim report must be handed in at the end of the winter semester, as well as a final report at the end of the academic year.

Accreditation of supervision for senior mentors

The supervision of a group for a full academic year by a post-doctoral qualification candidate acting as a senior mentor can be accredited as 10 academic units for teaching activities.