ORIGINAL SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE

https://doi.org/10.5005/jp-journals-11005-0018
Science, Art and Religion
Volume 1 | Issue 1 | Year 2022

Tips for Faculty Development and Mentoring Success

Sanja Kupesic-Plavsic

International Academy of Science and Art in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Paul L Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, Texas, USA

Corresponding Author: Sanja Kupesic-Plavsic, International Academy of Science and Art in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Paul L Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, Texas, USA, Phone: +1-915-215-5065, e-mail: sanja.kupesic@ttuhsc.edu

ABSTRACT

Health sciences centers rely on competent and engaged faculty members for their success, and therefore robust faculty development and mentoring programs are a must for every academic institution. Faculty development and mentoring program metrics should be closely linked with the program goals. The goals of institutional faculty development and mentoring programs are to increase faculty retention, improve job satisfaction, and facilitate promotion.

This paper describes the essential components of an innovative concept of the comprehensive Faculty Development Program, consisting of the Institutional Faculty Development Program, Departmental Faculty Development Program, Personalized Faculty Development Program, Leadership Development Academy, Community Faculty, and Preceptors’ Development Program, Writing Interest Group, and an outcome-driven, promotion-oriented Institutional Faculty Mentoring Program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. In the discussion section, we review and discuss the theoretical perspectives and principles of faculty development and mentoring in health sciences professions and provide some of the key references for those interested in learning more about these topics.

How to cite this article: Kupesic-Plavsic S. Tips for Faculty Development and Mentoring Success. Sci Arts Relig 2022;1(1):94-102.

Source of support: Nil

Conflict of interest: None

SAŽETAK

Uspjeh akademskih institucija, poglavito zdravstvenih sveučilista, ovisi o znanju, vještinama, kompetentnosti i angažmanu nastavnog kadra. Stoga je za njihov uspjeh neophodno ulagati u trajno osposobljavanje, razvoj vještina i mentoriranje nastavnika. Smjernice i ciljevi razvojnih programa ovise o viziji i ciljevima obrazovnih institucija. Smisao ulaganja u trajno osposobljavanje i razvoj medicinskog osoblja, nastavnika i znantvenog kadra je sprečavanje njihovog odljeva, poboljšanje zadovoljstva poslom i olakšano napredovanje.

Ovaj rad opisuje inovativni koncept sveobuhvatnog programa razvoja u zdravstvenom sveučilistu koje se sastoji od medicinskog, stomatološkog, sestrinskog i prirodoslovnog fakulteta. Program razvoja sveučilista sastoji se od pojedinačnih programa za svaki fakultet, pojedinačni odjel/odsjek, te osobnog programa razvoja nastavnog i znanstvenog kadra. Posebni programi posvećeni su razvoju rukovodećeg osoblja, interesne grupe za znanost i pisanje znanstvenih radova i projekata, te program institucionalnog mentorstva. Svi programi su usmjereni na postizanje rezultata i profesionalne promocije na Texas Tech Sveučilistu Zdravstvenih Znanosti u El Pasu, u Teksasu, Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama. U raspravi govorimo o teoretskim perspektivama i principima razvoja sveučilišnih nastavnika i mentorstva u medicini i drugim zdravstvenim profesijama, te diskutiramo neke od ključnih referenci iz ovog područja za one koji žele saznati više o ovoj važnoj temi.

Keywords: Faculty development, Faculty mentoring, Health sciences academic institutions, Leadership development, Writing skills

Ključne riječi Zdravstveno sveučilište, razvoj znanstvenog i nastavnog kadra, razvoj rukovođenja, vještine pisanja, mentorstvo

INTRODUCTION

Faculty are the foundation of any academic institution. In the current era of decreased funding for teaching and research, health sciences academic institutions are increasingly focused on clinical productivity just for survival in a highly competitive market. In many institutions, the expectations for academic promotion are unrealistic, particularly for full-time clinical faculty in newly-established medical schools, leading to faculty attrition. Data from the American Association of Medical Colleges indicate that 38% of faculty overall and 43% of first-time assistant professors leave academic medicine within 10 years. The attrition rates are higher for female and non-white faculty and those with an MD degree.1,2

Faculty attrition is unavoidable, significantly when pressure for productivity is increasing, and faculty satisfaction is declining. Many studies on faculty attrition focus on faculty dissatisfaction. A potential strategy to improve faculty satisfaction and decrease the number of faculty leaving health sciences centers is to enhance faculty development and initiate mentoring programs. This paper describes the essential components of an innovative concept of the comprehensive faculty development program, including an outcome-driven, promotion-oriented Institutional Faculty Mentoring Program (IFMP) at Paul L Foster School of Medicine (PLFSOM), Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC El Paso). In the discussion section, I will review some of the theoretical perspectives and principles of faculty development and mentoring in medicine and other health care professions and provide some of the key references for those interested in learning more about these topics.

TTUHSC EL PASO FACULTY DEVELOPMENT AND MENTORING EXPERIENCE

TTUHSC El Paso is a public university with over 400 full-time and part-time faculty members, located on the USA–Mexico border in El Paso, Texas. TTUHSC El Paso has four academic units: the PLFSOM, the Gayle Greve Hunt School of Nursing (GGHSON), the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), and the Woody L Hunt School of Dental Medicine (WLHSDM). In 2003, PLFSOM at TTUHSC El Paso established a comprehensive faculty development program. Currently, the program is available across the University.

The individual faculty members assume much responsibility for their career development. Still, the institution is obligated to provide support and opportunity to the faculty for learning new skills and accomplishing the performance expectations. Faculty development programs are hosted by the Office of Faculty Development (OFD). The OFD is composed of two faculty members and three professional staff members. Both faculty members are scientists who publish in peer-reviewed journals. The Associate Dean for Faculty Development is also a practicing physician and professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Two of the staff members in the OFD serve as Lead Analysts and have training and degrees in computer science or a related field. One of the Lead Analysts holds a Master of Education degree.

Currently, the OFD is supporting seven faculty development programs:

Individual departments have policies for supporting faculty attendance at meetings related to professional development and clinical education. The Dean’s office helps defray the costs of the presentation materials and travel expenses when no other funding source can be identified. Faculty participation in institutional faculty development and mentoring programs is free. The OFD team offers faculty guidance in the areas of the study design, including sample size calculations and statistical analysis. Furthermore, the OFD mentors faculty as they write manuscripts and grant applications. The OFD provides additional services, such as research (e.g., access to public data sets) and teaching assistance (e.g., creative use of PowerPoint and alternative presentation tools, video recording, creating graphics, digital images, and more complex forms of multimedia, etc.) to support faculty scholarship and active participation at regional and national conferences. The OFD also aims to advance the faculty development participants and TTUHSC El Paso faculty at large in creating online educational materials, organizing, and coordinating courses within their specialty/discipline for different levels of learners.

Participants interested in enrolling in faculty development programs are asked to provide a CV/resume and schedule an interview with the Associate and Assistant Deans for Faculty Development to discuss their professional/career development plan for teaching, research, service, and clinical practice (if appropriate). Associate and Assistant Deans for Faculty Development review the faculty’s CV/resume and propose the specific goals of the Faculty Development Program that will assist in reaching those plans. A set of activities is proposed to be undertaken to achieve these specific goals. Faculty performance and progress are assessed to ensure the improvement of the specific skills (e.g., teaching and assessment skills, grant writing skills, etc.), scholarship/research productivity, academic, and public service, and clinical practice (if applicable). Working along with faculty and department/division chairs in faculty career coaching helps to identify faculty’s short and long-term goals, the perception of their career development and advancement, and assess overall satisfaction with life-work balance.

Our faculty development programs are available for faculty at all levels at no cost. Faculty can access them at all instructional sites via a learning management system (LMS) Canvas, WebEx teleconferencing platform, or face-to-face. The information about our programs is disseminated by the Office of Institutional Advancement, TTUHSC El Paso News (SCOPE), CME Office, OFD Newsletter, and emails. Interested faculty can find information on faculty development opportunities on the regularly updated OFD webpage, from which they can self-enroll and register for asynchronous and synchronous sessions/activities. The list and links to all of the faculty development activities for the current academic year are provided on the OFD website: https://elpaso.ttuhsc.edu/som/facdevelopment/

Institutional Faculty Development Program (IFDP)

The OFD offers an annual professional development curriculum entitled the IFDP. The goals of our comprehensive 8-month Faculty Development Program are to allow faculty to enhance their teaching and assessment skills, maintain competence in their discipline/specialty, achieve career advancement and professional satisfaction, engage in research and scholarship projects, develop leadership skills, and participate in academically related public service.3

Each IFDP cohort is comprised of approximately 15–30 faculty members. Community-based faculty preceptors and physicians are welcome to join the IFDP. The program is designed to help junior and mid-level faculty members understand the full range of academic responsibilities, enhance their teaching and assessment skills, develop scholarship skills, understand the steps of academic advancement, and establish a network of colleagues. It is recommended that all new junior and mid-level faculty attend the entire or specific segments of the program. The IFDP contains Teaching, Research, Clinical Skills and Simulation, and Leadership Blocks.3

Six courses are offered within the Teaching Block: adult teaching and learning, how to build and teach a quality online course, technology of e-learning, library skills course, and interprofessional education course. Five courses are offered within the Research Block: fundamental research skills course, clinical trials course, Institutional Review Board (IRB) skills course, writing interest group course, and the grantsmanship training course. The goals of the Research Block are to improve the skills of faculty in the following areas: data analysis, study design, grant writing, scholarly writing, and navigating the IRB submission process. The OFD has archived several years’ worth of the Texas Public Use Data File (PUDF) for the scholarly benefit of faculty. The PUDF is composed of hospital inpatient and outpatient discharge files and is released by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Medical school faculty can learn how the OFD can assist them in accessing these datasets to conduct patient outcomes research by visiting this OFD webpage: https://elpaso.ttuhsc.edu/som/facdevelopment/PUDF-research-data.aspx

Clinical Skills and Simulation Block discusses the best practices of teaching and learning in a clinical simulation environment (e.g., mastering clinical simulation design, assessment and feedback, debriefing and guided reflection in clinical simulation, curriculum integration, etc.) Four courses are offered in the Leadership Block: succeeding and advancing as faculty, conflict resolution and negotiation, leadership skills course, and faculty wellness in the workplace.

Every year, a wide spectrum of health sciences topics relevant to basic sciences, nursing, dental, undergraduate, and graduate medical education are covered in synchronous face-to-face or teleconference interactions and online courses in Canvas, the institutional LMS. Requirements for graduation from the IFDP are attendance (a minimum of 40 contact hours) and successful completion of three projects: an oral presentation, the creation of an online module, and a written proposal for a scholarly/research project.

Table 1 reviews the distribution of the educational, CME, and CNE credits per block for the 2020/21 IFDP. Figure 1 illustrates the number of educational credits per block for the last five academic years (from 2016 to the present). Our transition to online resulted in a significant increase in the number of unique learners (Fig. 2) and the number of contact hours (Fig. 3). The fact that the current, IFDP offers 3.5 the amount of contact hours that are required to graduate allows a faculty member to customize their professional development experience.

Table 1: AY 2020/21 IFDP contact hours, CME, and CNE credits
IFDP block Canvas - CME credits Teleconferences - CME credits Canvas - CNE credits Teleconferences - CNE credits Max. educational credits
Teaching 44 18 44 14 62
Research 13.75 5 11 5 40.75*
Clinical skills/simulation 6.25 3 6.25 3 9.25
Leadership development 23 5 23 5 28
Total credits 117 110.25 140.0

*Including 22 non-CME, non-CME credits for Grantsmanship course.

Fig. 1: IFDP educational credits per block (from 2016 to the present)

Fig. 2: The number of IFDP unique learners (from 2016 to the present)

Fig. 3: The number of IFDP contact hours (from 2016 to the present)

The transition to online during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant increase in the number of educational (CME and CNE) credits, unique learners, and contact hours. IFDP participants and general faculty attending teleconferences and completing our online modules appreciate the flexibility and consistency of educational content delivery. For OFD, this model lessened the impact of staffing shortages and increased its academic productivity.4,5 The creation of a quality eLearning program was a high input operation, requiring the time, and expertise of the OFD leadership to create, lead analysts to design, run, monitor, and report on the outcomes of our online faculty development program. Our experience in eLearning resulted in the creation of institution-specific interactive (faculty to student and student to student) modules. We believe that positive faculty development experience resulted in the encouragement of the educators, faculty, and academic leaders, allowing us to emerge from this pandemic crisis stronger, wiser, and more experienced in using eLearning tools.6

Departmental Faculty Development Program (DFDP)

The DFDP was established in 2013 and has become instrumental in helping TTUHSC El Paso departments achieve their educational and research goals.3 The DFDP provides faculty with the tools to directly implement what they have learned in the IFDP and serve as role models for others. Candid and creative discussions with department chairs, educational and research leadership, and faculty members about their academic responsibilities promote faculty advancement through a program targeted to the department’s specific needs and service goals. The program is delivered on-site and focuses on clerkship, residency and fellowship programs, teaching, and research faculty. OFD faculty and staff closely collaborate and support faculty undergoing promotion and tenure review.

Personalized Faculty Development Program (PFDP)

In this program, a multidisciplinary faculty development team takes the time to address an individual faculty member’s academic goals and objectives. Through networking sessions, the OFD leadership engages and mobilizes faculty from different schools, departments, and Centers of Emphasis across the campus to improve networking and interprofessional research and scholarship at the institutional level.3 Personalized faculty development is based on the needs of the individual and is tailored to individual preferences. Although our faculty are responsible for managing their development, the OFD provides them with ongoing support with an appraisal.

Community Faculty and Preceptors’ Development Program

This program targets community-based faculty and preceptors to ensure uniformity in the clinical training of our students and residents. El Paso has a large, professionally diverse medical community, and many local physicians are currently members of the volunteer faculty at TTUHSC El Paso.3 Currently, there are about 140 community faculty and preceptors supporting our educational programs. Before community faculty members are assigned to medical/nursing/dental student teaching, they are invited to attend a series of presentations that include information about adult learning, practical teaching techniques in a clinical setting, feedback methods, and the institutional forms and materials used for evaluation. Community faculty members are provided with free access to the Teaching Physician website, TTUHSC El Paso library, and institution-specific modules created by the OFD, TTUHSC El Paso pre-clerkship, clerkship, and residency program leadership and faculty.

Writing Interest Group (WIG)

The WIG was launched in 2016 after the OFD found that some faculty members struggled due to their lack of scholarly writing skills. The goals of the WIG include increased collaboration between faculty, resulting in improved research productivity. Senior faculty and experienced academic writers guide faculty through writing and submitting manuscripts and responding to peer reviews. An increase in the average number of peer-reviewed publications was observed approximately 1–2 years after completing the first two WIGs. Recently, WIG has become an integral part of the IFDP. Commonly WIG is combined with other faculty development interventions (e.g., IFMP). This year, the OFD purchased a limited number of ClearWriter licenses. ClearWriter is a writing course/writing training software package. The ClearWriter user licenses are issued first-come, first-served to faculty interested in polishing their writing skills. This purchase by the OFD was made possible due to reimbursement by the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). HEERF is a part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Leadership Development Academy (LDA)

The LDA is an 8-month development program created for the next generation of TTUHSC EP academic leaders. It has been developed with department chairs, assistant and associate deans, and managers in mind.3 The program is an OFD initiative to improve individual leadership skills through self-discovery, group discussions, and collaborative networking. The LDA’s innovative weekly sessions are designed to enhance individual management and strategic planning skills, strengthen leadership performance across the University, enhance understanding of institutional culture and teamwork, improve university finance analysis, and establish a pipeline for succession planning.

The sessions are divided into five courses: General and Administrative Leadership Course, Educational Leadership Course, Leadership in Graduate Medical Education (GME) Course, Clinical Leadership Course, and Research Leadership Course. The LDA sessions last one hour and take place from noon to 1:00 pm. Participants can also enjoy the benefit of flexible enrollment in asynchronous Canvas online courses. LDA participants are awarded a total of 68 contact hours. Requirements for graduation from the LDA are attendance of a minimum, 25 contact hours, and successful completion of a leadership project.

Institutional Faculty Mentoring Program

Ten years ago, the OFD collaborated with the Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE) in designing and implementing a promotion-oriented faculty mentoring program targeting the junior faculty, women, Hispanic, and under-represented minority (URM) faculty. The goals of IFMP are the following:

  • Establish a campus-wide, multidisciplinary, and interdepartmental mentoring campaign to maximize the faculty’s potential at all levels.

  • Assist junior faculty, Hispanic and URM faculty to successfully develop and achieve their career interest, personal growth, and professional accomplishment.

  • Enhance faculty recognition, satisfaction, and retention by directing, mentoring, and supporting the faculty to succeed in their scholarly endeavors.

  • Provide mentoring skills to the junior and mid-level faculty members to effectively function as a mentee and later successfully serve as a mentor for students and residents.

  • Enhance the senior-level faculty members’ mentoring skills who volunteer to mentor the junior and mid-level faculty members.

  • Align individual faculty accomplishments with the departmental and institutional missions.

  • Assist the department Chairpersons in developing, supporting, monitoring, and assessing faculty academic progress.

  • Create and maintain a collegial and conducive environment for faculty development at both department and institution levels.

  • Improve the quality of the TTUHSC El Paso outcomes-driven faculty development programs.

  • Establish a program to organize, coordinate, evaluate, recognize and reward faculty mentors’ mentoring efforts.

  • Develop networking with other TTUHSC campuses, local, regional, and national teaching institutions to expand the diversity of the IFMP.

  • Provide a cadre of faculty who will initiate, support, and sustain the departmental faculty development activities and reinforce the institutional faculty development programs.

Mentees are asked to provide their CV and complete the Faculty Mentoring Interest Questionnaire describing their background, special needs, career interests, and areas that they want to accomplish. The IFMP matches the faculty mentee with one or more internal or external mentors. The mentee and mentor pair identify one or more goals of their mentoring relationship. Table 2 illustrates the characteristics of a successful mentoring relationship.7

Table 2: Characteristics of the successful mentoring relationship7
Characteristics Mentee Mentor
Expectations Clearly defines goals and objectives Clearly defines mentoring expectations
Time Punctuality Availability
Respectful of mentee’s time
Communication Maintains and facilitates communication Accessible
Uses different forms of communication
Trust Mutual respect Maintains confidentiality
Prioritization Fulfills mentor’s expectations Acts in mentee’s best interest
Relationship Understands mentor-mentee boundaries Maintains professional relationship
Honesty Explicit communication of development/mentoring needs Provides honest and timely feedback
Monitoring progress Committed to achieving mentoring goals and objectives Applies objective outcome measures
Sponsorship Proactive and enthusiastic Identifies mentoring opportunities
Separation Mutually agreed in mentee’s best interest Open to collaboration after separation

The mentoring goals consist of:

  • Providing scientific/academic writing support (e.g., publishing at least one article in a peer-review journal in mentee’s discipline/specialty, creating abstract or oral presentations related to the mentee’s expertise at a national scientific/educational meeting),

  • Enhancing mentee’s teaching skills (e.g., developing scholarly activity that can achieve meritorious levels according to the PLFSOM, GGHSON, GSBS, and WLHSDM guidelines for promotion), and

  • Improving mentees’ leadership and administrative skills.

Mentor and mentee sign a contract in which the mentor accepts to help the mentee complete their academic goals. The contract form emphasizes the importance of regular meetings and confidentiality needed to establish an effective mentoring relationship. Mentors commit to providing guidance and timely constructive feedback to their mentees. For accountability purposes, mentees and mentors are encouraged to provide quarterly progress reports.

First 5 years ( from 2011–2015), the participants of IFMP were asked to complete their objectives within the 12-month partnership. In 2016, the mentee and mentor pairs agreed to extend their relationship to 24 months. The majority of faculty mentees successfully achieved or exceeded their stated goals. Figure 4 illustrates the outcomes of IFMP from 2016 to the present. To learn more about our faculty development programs, the interested reader is encouraged to visit the OFD website: https://elpaso.ttuhsc.edu/som/facdevelopment/development-programs.aspx

Fig. 4: IFMP outcomes (from 2016 to the present)

DISCUSSION

Health sciences centers rely on competent and engaged faculty for their success, and therefore robust faculty development and mentoring programs are a must for every academic institution. Faculty development and mentoring program metrics should be closely linked with the program goals. The goals of institutional faculty development and mentoring programs are to increase faculty retention, improve job satisfaction, and facilitate promotion.

After completing TTUHSC El Paso faculty development and mentoring programs, the OFD longitudinally follows the academic promotion rate of its participants.8 Our retrospective cohort study (October 2008–October 2019) evaluated publicly available faculty data of 148 IFDP graduates and 87 non-graduates. Subjects were full-time assistant professors at TTUHSC El Paso at the start of follow-up. The binary outcome was a promotion to associate professor. The outcome was measured annually from 2008–2019. Follow-up ended when the faculty member was promoted to associate professor, left our institution, or the study ended, whichever came first. Our study concluded that completion of the IFDP was strongly correlated with promotion to associate professor at our health sciences center.8

In our IFMP, mission-related projects (e.g., the number of peer-reviewed publications and the number of submitted and awarded grants) are part of the expected outcomes.7 Furthermore, the institutional tenure and promotion process recognizes the scholarly achievements and level of projects for the promotion process. After two sets of mentoring classes involving 29 mentees, 90% of them achieved a satisfactory on-track rating during the peer-review pre-tenure and promotion.7 The mentees achieved several scholarly activities during the mentoring period of 1 year and after completing the mentoring program (Fig. 4).

The mentoring programs are evaluated by assessing the quantitative data (e.g., promotion outcomes) or qualitative data (e.g., survey of the IFMP participants). Anonymous surveys are used for the assessment of mentoring perceptions and experiences. Objective data, such as scholarly productivity, promotional paths, and other indicators of career advancement, are available from a variety of sources (e.g., PubMed, public information on promotion success). Standard metrics of mentoring programs include perception of the appropriateness of the match by mentor and mentee, attendance of regularly scheduled mentoring meetings, level of commitment, and perception of the value of the mentoring program by both parties (Table 2). Other outcomes include the level of trust or interpersonal connectivity in the mentoring relationship.

The effectiveness of faculty mentoring programs is traditionally measured by subjective feedback of mentees and mentors.9 Faculty development and mentoring surveys assess the attributes of presenters, panelists, facilitators, mentees, and mentors, focusing on their characteristics and traits. Long-term mentoring program outcomes include improved work performance, job satisfaction, notable improvement of the institutional culture and values, and career advancement of the mentoring program participants. In our IFMP, quarterly reports are used for formative evaluation and quality enhancement of the IFMP program. Long-term outcomes are collected less frequently, typically at separation.

To better assess the mentoring program outcomes, we collect baseline data on faculty academic performance before enrollment in our mentoring program. These data are crucial for the evaluation of key performance indicators over time. To obtain accurate information about the success of the IFMP, we are committed to data collection from both successful and unsuccessful mentoring relationships.

Formal programs vary widely in their methods to match mentors and mentees and their preparation to engage in mentoring.10-12 Programs that solicit matching criteria from mentors and mentees, like our IFMP, are more likely to initiate successful mentorships. Matching criteria may include professional interests, demographics, geographical location, private interests, personality, values, and learning orientation.13,14 Orientation or training programs can help both parties establish a psychological connection. Training objectives can include clear communications of expectations of the relationship, goal-setting procedures, conflict resolution skills, and the general structure of the mentoring program.

Mentoring programs are divided according to the mentoring type (a dyad, peer, or mixed model).14-16 Other structural considerations for the mentoring program development include its length and the length of the follow-up period. An important feature of a mentoring program is the assessment of program success, guided by program goals, baseline information, or comparison data to determine success effectively.

Furthermore, these programs often suggest guidelines for the frequency of meetings. Typical guidelines indicate one or two meetings per month and specify the mentee as the responsible party to initiate these meetings.17 Finally, a goal-setting process provides structure to the relationship. Mentors and mentees should discuss and clarify expectations of their mentoring relationship to maximize their time together and eliminate questions about their perceptions and views. By developing and agreeing upon expectations, they minimize the chance of running into potential problems. They should clarify what they are seeking from an ongoing relationship and begin with the end in mind.18-20

Good development and mentoring goals are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.) Mentors should be realistic about what they can do for their mentees and help them understand what kinds of assistance they can expect. They should plan recurring meetings and agree on a time to update progress. They should document the mentee’s progress and any additional training and experiences needed to achieve the defined goals. Mentors should be consistent but need to agree to modify the academic plan if necessary. Throughout the mentoring relationship, it is important to be courteous, collegial, and professional.17,18

Figure 5 illustrates the mentoring cycle. Mentoring relationship starts with setting realistic goals and making a plan. Mentor and mentee work together to develop an academic plan that includes short-term goals, long-term goals, and a time frame for reaching these goals.17 The mentor should evaluate whether he or she is the right person for the role in terms of both expertise and time. If there are any conflicts, they should suggest someone else with expertise from the field of the mentee’s interest.20 Commonly our mentees are assigned, multiple mentors.

Fig. 5: Mentoring cycle

Informal mentoring programs, mentor and mentee sign a contract, determining the details of their mentoring relationship such as duration, frequency of meetings, goals, etc. Once both parties establish the nature of the relationship, set up realistic timelines for project milestones, and agree to work together, they keep in touch through regularly scheduled meetings, emails, or a phone.7

Mentor will offer specific and honest comments that address strengths and positive attributes and areas for improvement. Institutional time and resources are invested in the development and implementation of faculty mentoring programs. Therefore, the institution needs to know if this investment was successful. A well-executed program evaluation is fundamental to understanding if the program has achieved its goals. Therefore, a well-planned measurement and evaluation are an essential part of the mentoring cycle.21

Our IFMP is based on seven principles of effective mentoring relationships (Fig. 6). These seven principles include, and are not limited to maintaining and promoting effective communication, setting clear expectations, mutual understanding, addressing partnership, equity and inclusion, fostering mentee’s independence, promoting holistic professional development, and fostering ethical behavior. Diversity along a range of dimensions offers both challenges and opportunities.22-27 Learning to identify, reflect upon, learn from, and engage with diverse perspectives is critical to forming and maintaining an effective mentoring relationship. Another important goal of mentorship is helping the mentee to become independent. The ultimate goal of most mentoring relationships is to enable the mentee to identify and achieve some academic and professional outcomes after the training period.21,28 It is the responsibility of both the mentor and mentee to identify and articulate professional development goals and strive toward them together. Finally, mentors and mentees must engage in ethical behavior while openly discussing issues dealing with gray areas.20

Fig. 6: The seven core principles in mentoring relationship28

CONCLUSION

TTUHSC El Paso junior faculty, women, Hispanic, and under-represented minority faculty members benefit from structured, outcome-driven, and promotion-oriented partnership-based development and mentoring programs designed to enhance their scholarly productivity, teaching, and leadership skills. Improved scholarly productivity and the success of faculty promotion may positively affect faculty retention, resilience, and institutional vitality.29,30 This article illustrates institution-specific mechanisms for incorporating faculty development and mentoring into the list of institutional strategic priorities.

The OFD continues to adapt to the needs of our faculty. Early in 2020, the OFD submitted a proposal to our institutional leadership to create the Teaching Academy.3 The Teaching Academy has an overarching goal to nurture and cultivate faculty across all of our schools. This select group of faculty will become the next generation of educational leaders and scholars. Finally, we urge faculty development professionals to engage in original research to advance our field.3-5,8,29,30 Scholarship in faculty development is needed to identify what programs work and how they work. In that spirit, our OFD recently created a faculty vitality survey and administered it to a group of IFDP graduates.30 Currently, we are working on a longitudinal study of the impact of the IFDP on multiple outcomes, including the number of publications and promotions.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The faculty development initiatives described in this paper would not have been possible without the dedication of the following staff members of our Office of Faculty Development: Zuber D Mulla, Ph.D., Assistant Dean, Marco A Rodriguez, Associate Director, Raul Alvarez-Lopez, Lead Analyst, and Consuelo Rosales, Program Coordinator.

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