February 6, 2024 • 9 mins
Embark on a journey with us as we navigate the crucial world of mentorship in medicine, sharing a tale that will resonate with dreamers and doers alike. Ariana's story serves as a beacon of inspiration, a first-year college student with her sights set on dermatology but needing guidance to illuminate her path. Through our conversation, you'll gain actionable steps on how to forge and strengthen the bonds with mentors who can be the key to unlocking a future in healthcare. We dissect the art of reaching out with purpose, sidestepping common mistakes, and presenting yourself as a mentee worth investing in.
Our episode goes beyond the surface to reveal the subtleties of mentor-mentee dynamics, emphasizing follow-through, commitment, and the organizational prowess needed to turn these relationships into springboards for success. Hear firsthand how to make an unforgettable impression and what it takes to maintain a connection that can blossom into opportunities like coveted recommendation letters or research positions. As you listen, remember to tap into our community at BlackMedConnect, where your voice adds to the collective pursuit of medical excellence. Subscribe for ongoing guidance and remember, your aspirations are valid, and with the right mentor, entirely achievable.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Jasmine Weiss (00:00):
Welcome back to the BlackMed Connect podcast,
affectionately known as theB-MED podcast, where we share
inspiring stories of blackphysicians and physicians in
training at the intersection ofmedicine, culture and innovation
.
So I want to tell you the storyof a student named Ariana.
(00:35):
She's a first year collegestudent and she's interested in
dermatology, but she doesn'tknow any dermatologists.
There weren't any in her familyand she's never really met a
black dermatologist before.
She's passionate about becominga dermatologist and she has the
work ethic, but she needs somemore support, and that's where
(00:56):
mentors come in.
Mentors are experiencedindividuals that can help, guide
, counsel and support someonewith less experience.
They're often considered atrusted advisor and it's
important for a student likeAriana to find mentors to help
her navigate to becoming aphysician and getting into
medical school.
(01:17):
Not having a mentor is liketrying to get to your
destination without putting itin a GPS.
You may know where you're going, but you don't know the steps
to get there and it's easier toget lost.
That's what a mentor and astrong mentor team can help you
do, and here are three key tipsto finding the mentor to help
(01:37):
you along your journey.
Tip number one I want you tomake a list.
Make a list of every singleindividual who you think could
help you along the way.
It could be a professor thatyou've had for a class, it can
be a faculty advisor to anorganization that you're part of
at your school.
But just make a list of peoplewho may be able to help you
(02:00):
build that connection to amentor.
Don't forget to think aboutindividuals who may be at home
that you may not see anymore.
It may be a guidance counselorthat you had in high school, or
even your own physician who tookcare of you before you started
as a pre-med.
This list is just a startingpoint.
These individuals may notexactly know how to get you
(02:22):
there, but have conversationswith them to see if they know
individuals to help you getcloser and closer to becoming
that physician you want to be.
So for Ariana, she went to herbiology teacher.
She let her biology teacherknow that she was interested in
dermatology.
And guess what?
Her biology teacher knew?
(02:43):
The anatomy teacher.
And the anatomy teacher's wifewas a dermatologist.
But if Ariana hadn't reachedout to her biology teacher, she
may not have built thatconnection to finding her first
mentor in dermatology.
So that's my first tip Makesure you make a list of
potential individuals who canhelp you find a mentor and be a
part of your tribe.
(03:03):
Tip number two reach out to thisindividual or this group of
individuals with intention.
The key part here is withintention.
There are so many times where Iget emails where individuals
may ask for mentorship but theydon't know why they need
mentorship or what stage they'reat or what they're even asking
me for.
They just send an email becausethey know it's important to
(03:26):
have a mentor.
I don't want you to do that.
That's what most people do.
They don't reach out withintention.
Your job is to reach out tothis individual, let them know
you're excited about what youknow about their background and
ask them for help in specificareas.
So, for instance, for Ariana,she's looking for mentors to
(03:47):
help her learn about researchopportunities in dermatology.
She's also looking foropportunities to shadow a
dermatologist.
So if she says that in theemail to her new potential
mentor, that person is veryclear about why she wants to
meet.
So in reaching out toindividuals, be sure to reach
(04:08):
out with intention.
Now there are three traps I wantto make sure you avoid when
reaching out to potentialmentors.
Don't get cold feet about thiswhole process.
So many students assume thatpeople are too busy or won't
take the time for them, or oh,I'm insignificant, I don't
matter.
That is not true Most times.
(04:31):
People specifically those whoare already further along the
journey are excited whensomebody reaches out because
they know they can help themnavigate the path better.
I know for me.
When students ask me can I meetwith you to connect about X, y
and Z, I make time for studentsbecause I know how hard it is to
(04:52):
make it across the finish lineto med school and beyond.
So don't get cold feet aboutreaching out to people you don't
know.
Most times it's a welcome toprocess.
The next trap to avoid isreaching out to a person without
knowing anything about them.
It's really important to doyour background homework.
It's always critical to Googlethe person.
(05:13):
If a person is a physician,ultimately they have a Google
profile that tells you a littlebit about their research, a
little bit about how they takecare of patients and their
journey to medicine.
So it's easy to put someone'sname in and the practice they
work at or the university theywork for, just to get a little
(05:33):
bit more insight before youemail them.
So don't be the person whoreaches out without doing your
background homework.
Now that we've learned to reachout with intention, let's talk
about what a strong mentorshiprelationship actually looks like
.
Let's talk about mentorshipetiquette.
When you're trying to reach outto a person who's a busy,
working professional, you needto be professional too.
(05:56):
So when you reach out,introduce yourself.
Let them know who you are andwhy you want to meet with them.
Share what the commonconnection is so they can see
very clearly why you've reachedout and make time for meeting
with them.
It's really important to set anagenda for the meeting.
The day before your meeting, Iwant you to send a reminder
(06:18):
email thanking the person fortheir time and being
enthusiastic about theopportunity to meet with them.
This way, if something haschanged, especially for the busy
doctors, then they'll be ableto tell you hey, I may not be
able to meet today, but let'sreschedule.
The reminder email refreshestheir memory and gets them ready
to meet with you.
(06:38):
Next, I want you to show up ontime to your meeting, whether
it's virtual or in person, andbe enthusiastic.
Again, most doctors are reallybusy, so if they're taking the
time, it's because they want tomake time for you.
Ask them good questions.
Be very clear about why youwant to meet and follow the
(06:59):
agenda that you created.
That way they can feel like, oh, this person's really organized
and they have a plan for whythey want to meet with them.
Once you've had a great meetingwith your mentor, I want you to
set up the next meeting duringthe first meeting with the
mentor.
Go ahead and ask them is itokay if we meet every month, or
(07:22):
is it okay if I reach back outto you in two weeks?
How's next Thursday?
At blank time.
Know your availability up frontand know when you want to meet
back with the person, so theyhave a rough idea of the cadence
that you're hoping to meet.
If they can meet every fewweeks or once a month, they'll
let you know.
If they can't, they may pullback and say I can meet every
(07:44):
couple of months, and that wayyou can at least establish that
rhythm of meetings with yourpotential mentor.
The whole purpose of this is tolet them know that you're
serious about continuing therelationship.
I can't tell you how many timesI've had mentorship potential
meetings and people have saidthey want to follow up, but then
I don't hear from them again.
So instead of you being thatperson who starts a relationship
(08:08):
but doesn't continue it, you'llknow to set up your next
meeting before you finish yourfirst one.
One last tip I want to share ismake sure you do the task that
you discuss with your potentialmentor.
If they tell you to look onlineand find five research
opportunities, then actuallycomplete the task and email the
(08:30):
person back and let them knowhey, I looked up these five
research opportunities Again.
That shows your follow through.
It shows your commitment andyour organization.
All of this becomes reallyimportant because if you're
developing a strong mentorrelationship, over time that
person may be willing to writeyou a recommendation letter if
you find ways to work closelywith them.
(08:52):
So from the first meeting andeven from the first email,
you're trying to make a goodimpression and show that you're
organized and committed to therelationship and your ultimate
success, which is the goal.
Three key takeaways whenfinding your mentor are build a
list of potential mentors, reachout with intention and be
(09:13):
professional and set up yournext meeting.
Hope you enjoyed this episodeof the BlackMedConnect podcast.
I want you to do the work offinding your next mentor because
they're waiting to connect withyou.
Be sure to like, comment andsubscribe at BlackMedConnect.
And until next time, alwaysremember to dream without limits
.
Welcome back to the BlackMed Connect podcast,
affectionately known as theB-MED podcast, where we share
inspiring stories of blackphysicians and physicians in
training at the intersection ofmedicine, culture and innovation
.
So I want to tell you the storyof a student named Ariana.
(00:35):
She's a first year collegestudent and she's interested in
dermatology, but she doesn'tknow any dermatologists.
There weren't any in her familyand she's never really met a
black dermatologist before.
She's passionate about becominga dermatologist and she has the
work ethic, but she needs somemore support, and that's where
(00:56):
mentors come in.
Mentors are experiencedindividuals that can help, guide
, counsel and support someonewith less experience.
They're often considered atrusted advisor and it's
important for a student likeAriana to find mentors to help
her navigate to becoming aphysician and getting into
medical school.
(01:17):
Not having a mentor is liketrying to get to your
destination without putting itin a GPS.
You may know where you're going, but you don't know the steps
to get there and it's easier toget lost.
That's what a mentor and astrong mentor team can help you
do, and here are three key tipsto finding the mentor to help
(01:37):
you along your journey.
Tip number one I want you tomake a list.
Make a list of every singleindividual who you think could
help you along the way.
It could be a professor thatyou've had for a class, it can
be a faculty advisor to anorganization that you're part of
at your school.
But just make a list of peoplewho may be able to help you
(02:00):
build that connection to amentor.
Don't forget to think aboutindividuals who may be at home
that you may not see anymore.
It may be a guidance counselorthat you had in high school, or
even your own physician who tookcare of you before you started
as a pre-med.
This list is just a startingpoint.
These individuals may notexactly know how to get you
(02:22):
there, but have conversationswith them to see if they know
individuals to help you getcloser and closer to becoming
that physician you want to be.
So for Ariana, she went to herbiology teacher.
She let her biology teacherknow that she was interested in
dermatology.
And guess what?
Her biology teacher knew?
(02:43):
The anatomy teacher.
And the anatomy teacher's wifewas a dermatologist.
But if Ariana hadn't reachedout to her biology teacher, she
may not have built thatconnection to finding her first
mentor in dermatology.
So that's my first tip Makesure you make a list of
potential individuals who canhelp you find a mentor and be a
part of your tribe.
(03:03):
Tip number two reach out to thisindividual or this group of
individuals with intention.
The key part here is withintention.
There are so many times where Iget emails where individuals
may ask for mentorship but theydon't know why they need
mentorship or what stage they'reat or what they're even asking
me for.
They just send an email becausethey know it's important to
(03:26):
have a mentor.
I don't want you to do that.
That's what most people do.
They don't reach out withintention.
Your job is to reach out tothis individual, let them know
you're excited about what youknow about their background and
ask them for help in specificareas.
So, for instance, for Ariana,she's looking for mentors to
(03:47):
help her learn about researchopportunities in dermatology.
She's also looking foropportunities to shadow a
dermatologist.
So if she says that in theemail to her new potential
mentor, that person is veryclear about why she wants to
meet.
So in reaching out toindividuals, be sure to reach
(04:08):
out with intention.
Now there are three traps I wantto make sure you avoid when
reaching out to potentialmentors.
Don't get cold feet about thiswhole process.
So many students assume thatpeople are too busy or won't
take the time for them, or oh,I'm insignificant, I don't
matter.
That is not true Most times.
(04:31):
People specifically those whoare already further along the
journey are excited whensomebody reaches out because
they know they can help themnavigate the path better.
I know for me.
When students ask me can I meetwith you to connect about X, y
and Z, I make time for studentsbecause I know how hard it is to
(04:52):
make it across the finish lineto med school and beyond.
So don't get cold feet aboutreaching out to people you don't
know.
Most times it's a welcome toprocess.
The next trap to avoid isreaching out to a person without
knowing anything about them.
It's really important to doyour background homework.
It's always critical to Googlethe person.
(05:13):
If a person is a physician,ultimately they have a Google
profile that tells you a littlebit about their research, a
little bit about how they takecare of patients and their
journey to medicine.
So it's easy to put someone'sname in and the practice they
work at or the university theywork for, just to get a little
(05:33):
bit more insight before youemail them.
So don't be the person whoreaches out without doing your
background homework.
Now that we've learned to reachout with intention, let's talk
about what a strong mentorshiprelationship actually looks like
.
Let's talk about mentorshipetiquette.
When you're trying to reach outto a person who's a busy,
working professional, you needto be professional too.
(05:56):
So when you reach out,introduce yourself.
Let them know who you are andwhy you want to meet with them.
Share what the commonconnection is so they can see
very clearly why you've reachedout and make time for meeting
with them.
It's really important to set anagenda for the meeting.
The day before your meeting, Iwant you to send a reminder
(06:18):
email thanking the person fortheir time and being
enthusiastic about theopportunity to meet with them.
This way, if something haschanged, especially for the busy
doctors, then they'll be ableto tell you hey, I may not be
able to meet today, but let'sreschedule.
The reminder email refreshestheir memory and gets them ready
to meet with you.
(06:38):
Next, I want you to show up ontime to your meeting, whether
it's virtual or in person, andbe enthusiastic.
Again, most doctors are reallybusy, so if they're taking the
time, it's because they want tomake time for you.
Ask them good questions.
Be very clear about why youwant to meet and follow the
(06:59):
agenda that you created.
That way they can feel like, oh, this person's really organized
and they have a plan for whythey want to meet with them.
Once you've had a great meetingwith your mentor, I want you to
set up the next meeting duringthe first meeting with the
mentor.
Go ahead and ask them is itokay if we meet every month, or
(07:22):
is it okay if I reach back outto you in two weeks?
How's next Thursday?
At blank time.
Know your availability up frontand know when you want to meet
back with the person, so theyhave a rough idea of the cadence
that you're hoping to meet.
If they can meet every fewweeks or once a month, they'll
let you know.
If they can't, they may pullback and say I can meet every
(07:44):
couple of months, and that wayyou can at least establish that
rhythm of meetings with yourpotential mentor.
The whole purpose of this is tolet them know that you're
serious about continuing therelationship.
I can't tell you how many timesI've had mentorship potential
meetings and people have saidthey want to follow up, but then
I don't hear from them again.
So instead of you being thatperson who starts a relationship
(08:08):
but doesn't continue it, you'llknow to set up your next
meeting before you finish yourfirst one.
One last tip I want to share ismake sure you do the task that
you discuss with your potentialmentor.
If they tell you to look onlineand find five research
opportunities, then actuallycomplete the task and email the
(08:30):
person back and let them knowhey, I looked up these five
research opportunities Again.
That shows your follow through.
It shows your commitment andyour organization.
All of this becomes reallyimportant because if you're
developing a strong mentorrelationship, over time that
person may be willing to writeyou a recommendation letter if
you find ways to work closelywith them.
(08:52):
So from the first meeting andeven from the first email,
you're trying to make a goodimpression and show that you're
organized and committed to therelationship and your ultimate
success, which is the goal.
Three key takeaways whenfinding your mentor are build a
list of potential mentors, reachout with intention and be
(09:13):
professional and set up yournext meeting.
Hope you enjoyed this episodeof the BlackMedConnect podcast.
I want you to do the work offinding your next mentor because
they're waiting to connect withyou.
Be sure to like, comment andsubscribe at BlackMedConnect.
And until next time, alwaysremember to dream without limits
.
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