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Mentoring
All Fellows and Affiliate members of the College can be part of mentoring the next generation of psychiatrists.
Applications for the 2023 mentoring program will open January 2023. To be notified when applications open, please email us.
Being a RANZCP mentor provides you with the opportunity to:
- foster the next generation of psychiatrists by offering trainees and early career psychiatrists non-supervisory support in a confidential, non-judgmental setting
- mentor in your subspecialty or interest area and support those who are interested in a future career in these areas
- introduce mentees to other Fellows and Affiliate members and share professional networks and interest areas
- reflect on your own practice/experience
- complete an eligible CPD learning activity (category 4.7: College Activities)
- expand professional development goals
- stay connected or reconnect with College membership services and programs.
What can I offer a mentee?
Mentoring is an important career-based resource that exists outside of structured supervision and training requirements. While many trainees do want to discuss their training, many also want a mentor to help guide them in the next step in their careers. Our early career psychiatrist mentees are especially looking for mentors to assist with future career and family planning as well as achieving work and life balance.
How much time does it involve?
We recommend that mentors and mentees meet for 1–2 hours each month over the 8-month program, but this is something you can agree with your mentee. We take into consideration how much time you have available to mentor each month and look to pair you with a mentee with similar expectations. Around 7 hours' training and preparation time is required for mentors, with all materials and resources provided by the College.
How are we paired?
We complete a detailed process and every mentoring pairing partnership is carefully considered. Whilst we do ask for a lot of information from you when you apply, it does help us to make the best possible match with an appropriate mentee. We check for potential conflicts of interest, and give both the proposed mentor and mentee the opportunity to review the proposed partnership before we introduce them. We don’t make an introduction if an issue is raised. The program is run by a dedicated College team, with each application and pairing reviewed and supported throughout the program’s duration.
Can I mentor in my subspeciality area?
We complete a detailed process and every mentoring pairing partnership is carefully considered. Whilst we do ask for a lot of information from you when you apply, it does help us to make the best possible match with an appropriate mentee. We check for potential conflicts of interest, and give both the proposed mentor and mentee the opportunity to review the proposed partnership before we introduce them. We don’t make an introduction if an issue is raised. The program is run by a dedicated College team, with each application and pairing reviewed and supported throughout the program’s duration.
What is the role of the College?
We facilitate the initial mentoring pairing, provide training and resources, and to offer any support, if needed. The discussions between mentor and mentee are confidential. If you have any concerns for your mentee, or an issue with the partnership, we can assist.
What CPD hours can be claimed?
Mentors can record time spent mentoring under Section 4. Keep a record of your meetings as evidence for claims. Learnit modules completed for the Mentoring Program are automatically recorded on MyCPD.
