What you will gain
The mentoring relationship will allow an opportunity for your experience and knowledge to be shared, creating an environment where the mentee can thrive and progress along their path to reaching their goals. Mentoring also allows the mentor to develop relationships with people, who they may otherwise not encounter. If you are member of the RPS, you can also benefit from mentoring as it can assist in the RPS Faculty journey. Stewarding a mentee through the ups and downs of the research process can be an extremely rewarding experience and helps to build professional relationships around a wider network of researchers.
To Apply
If you are an experienced researcher and are interested in volunteering your time to this scheme, please complete the Mentor Form and a member of the team will be in touch to confirm your details and outline the next steps.
Further Information
As a mentor, you will be required to dedicate a minimum of 2 hours a month to meet and discuss progress with your mentee. The typical mentoring relationship lasts at least 6 months, however this will vary depending on the requests of the mentee and the time dedicated by both the mentee and mentor. When you are matched up with a mentee, the mentee is expected to initiate contact with you within 2 weeks of being matched. If you do not hear from them, please inform the PRUK team.
The early stages of a mentoring relationship are crucial and the initial meeting between you and the mentee will significantly dictate how the relationship will look going forward. It is therefore really important that you understand your role and responsibilities in this relationship. The main thing to consider is that, as the mentor, you should not carry out any work for or on behalf of the mentee. Instead, you should simply help the mentee to identify the best next steps to take in order to progress and get closer to their goal. The mentee is expected to set-up and schedule meetings with you so they can update you on their progress, as well as propose agenda items to discuss.
Additional Documents
We are here to support you throughout your mentoring journey and help you to address any issues that may arise along the way. We recommend that you read the PRUK Mentoring Handbook for information on the purpose of the scheme and commitments required from you before signing up. The FAQs may also be helpful if you have any questions at this stage. You may also find it useful to read about the potential benefits that being a mentor can provide, through case studies by Rachel Elliott and Christine Bond
Should you require any further information, please contact the PRUK team at office@pharmresuk.org.uk, where a member of the team will get back to you.
