1

April Moore
Mentoring Activity
July 2, 2015
Effective Mentoring in Medical Dosimetry
A mentor can be defined as a more experienced person who helps guide, give advice,
train and teach a less experienced person in a specific setting.1A person who assumes this role
may or may not even be aware that they are a mentor. Mentoring helps shape the values and
practices of a profession.1 Mentoring is so important, especially in a healthcare profession like
Medical Dosimetry. Until recently medical dosimetry was a profession that has been primarily
learned through on the job training. Both on the job trainees as well as formal dosimetry program
students are attaining practically all of their clinical education from a more experienced certified
dosimetrist. The medical dosimetrists are the mentors of the student/trainee. It is important that
students have effective mentors since this is how the student will learn the trade of dosimetry and
in order to succeed on the certification board exam and in their careers in medical dosimetry it is
imperative that they have effective mentors. Along with educational training, mentoring can also
be applied to a junior dosimetrist entering the workforce.
Mentoring is the key in developing leaders in health care professions. There are many
styles to mentoring; one can be characterized by a trial by fire attitude and another can be a
more nurturing style.2 Regardless the style, mentoring can either help or hinder. The key is to
find the right mentor for the mentee. 2 A student may experience a bad relationship with a mentor
that significantly blemishes the educational experience.1 A radiation therapist commented that if
a mentor does not give you a chance to learn renders the mentor/mentee relationship ineffective
(Tracy Terzolino, oral communication, July 2015). Not only does the mentee benefit from the
guidance but the mentor gains a sense of enrichment in their life from being a positive influence
to the learner (Katherine Miles, oral communication, July 2015).
There are many traits of an effective and supportive mentor to include: honesty, integrity,
ethics and fairness.1 Patience and communication are also some quality traits of a mentor
(Katherine Miles, oral communication, July 2015). An effective mentor will help to guide
someone through various stages: novice, dependent, independent and finally proficient. Mentors
help the mentee to form a distinct approach to work and help define their work personality.1Just

as certain traits can make a mentor effective, they can also hold traits that make them ineffective.
These traits can include a lack of understanding or what is expected of them as a mentor.1
Mentors can be a role model, teacher, sponsor, coach, guide, advisor, counselor or an
inspiring leader. Personally, I have had the opportunity to experience many mentors in my life,
education, and healthcare career. During radiological technologist training, radiation therapy
training and on the job medical dosimetry training, I relied heavily on mentors (staff, senior
technicians, senior therapist, senior dosimetrsist and physicists) for guidance. These mentors
helped shape my work ethics, personality and clinical education to make me a successful
healthcare worker. I have been fortunate to have effective mentors who have taken the time to
teach, advise and facilitate responsibility in me.
As you can see mentoring plays a huge role in shaping a novice into a proficient worker
and person. Mentoring is especially important in the healthcare environment where a large
portion of the skills and traits are taught through a mentor/mentee relationship. These
relationships can be deliberate, set up through institutions or professional organizations but they
can also evolve naturally between two people with complementary skills, attributes, and goals.
Regardless of how the mentorship forms it is important that the mentor communicates effectively
so that the mentee is able to learn academically and personally.

References
1. Lenards N. Mentoring. (PowerPoint). La Crosse, WI: UW-L Medical Dosimetry Program;
2014.
2. Hawkins JW, Fontenot HB. Mentorship: the heart and soul of health care leadership. J Healthc
Leadersh. 2010;2:31-34. http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S7863

Appendix A:
April Moore
Mentoring interview with Catherine Miles, Certified Medical Dosimetrist (Transcript)
July 30, 2015
Q: What is effective mentoring to you?
A: Teaching in a way that the person understands fully.
Q: What are some traits of an effective mentor?
A: Patience, communication (effective)
Q: In what ways can you benefit from an effective mentor?
A: Person being mentored would be able to perform duties or explain process after session and
moves forward with more knowledge/ confidence.
Q: Can a mentor be ineffective? In what ways can they be ineffective?
A: By teaching in a manner that is not understood by pupil. Not taking enough time, lack of
patience.
Q: Do you think there should be a certain amount of time a mentor and mentee meet?
A: Course dependent.
Q: Have you ever had a mentor?
A: Most everyone in my life in one way or another.
Q: Have you ever been a mentor?
A: Daily as a co-worker and a parent.
Q: How does mentoring benefit the mentor?
A: By being a positive influence and enrichment of your own personal life.

Appendix B:
April Moore
Mentoring Interview with Tracy Terzolino, Radiation Therapist (Transcript)
July 30, 2015
Q: What is effective mentoring to you?
A: Guiding someone to learn a new skill set or to improve a current one.
Q: What are some traits of an effective mentor?
A: It is important to be patient and make sure you articulate properly so that the mentee can
learn.
Q: In what ways can you benefit from an effective mentor?
A: Being able to apply learned knowledge to clinical skills.
Q: Can a mentor be ineffective? In what ways can they be ineffective?
A: Yes, when a mentor acts in a way that makes you feel that they do not have time to show you
anything or does not give you a chance to learn.
Q: Do you think there should be a certain amount of time a mentor and mentee meet?
A: No, it is mentee dependent. Some people are able to learn quicker than others, the time spent
should be appropriate to the needs of the mentee.
Q: Have you ever had a mentor?
A: Yes, a senior therapist during my first rotation of therapy training. They took the time to show
me, teach me and help me to grow clinically.
Q: Have you ever been a mentor?
A: I would like to think of myself as a mentor. We have therapy students rotating through our site
as well as new/casual therapist that need some guidance.
Q: How does mentoring benefit the mentor?
A: There is a great amount of gratification that comes with helping a student succeed in their
academic, educational and personal goals.