6 Key Attributes of an Excellent Veterinary Mentor
A good vet mentor is key to success in the early veterinary career. Doing research and working with the recent veterinary graduate population, I have identified several attributes that make a veterinary mentor excellent at best supporting early career professionals. All of these skills can be developed and fostered to create a supportive environment. To become a better veterinary mentor, work on growing these skills.
1. Good Mentors Listen
This is perhaps the most important skill that a vet mentor can have. The ability to listen to a new or recent veterinary graduate without trying to immediately offer your suggestions is key to being a good mentor. Listening to learn rather than listening to fix can be a good rule of thumb.
A good mentor will actively listen to the recent veterinary graduate and allow them to share their experiences and ideas uninterrupted. Non-verbals are an important part of active listening so mentors should give their undivided attention to their mentee without being distracted on other tasks. After the recent graduate has finished sharing their experiences and ideas, a good mentor will ask open-ended questions to clarify what they have shared.
2. Good Vet Mentors Are Available and Willing To Answer Questions
Many new graduates express that a good mentor is always available and willing to answer their questions. A good mentor will not make them feel dumb for answering the question. The willingness to answer questions has the potential to demonstrate to the new graduate that you care and you are open to supporting them.
Often, when seeking a veterinary mentor, a new graduate may look for a veterinarian who is available to answer questions when they are left alone at the practice. This availability is key to making new graduates feel like they have a support network so they don’t feel overwhelmed.
3. Excellent Veterinary Mentors Are Advocates
An excellent veterinary mentor will act as an advocate for the early career veterinarian. This means that they will stand behind and support the decisions that the new graduate makes. This can be particularly important for a new graduate who is trying to build trust and rapport among support staff and clients.
If a client or staff member makes a complaint about a decision that was made by a recent graduate, a good vet mentor will support their decision as long as it was a safe decision (even if it is not exactly how the mentor would have approached the situation). Every veterinarian has a unique approach to practicing medicine, so ensuring that you are being an advocate for the new veterinarian is key to supporting them.
4. Trust of Medical Decisions Is Vital
New veterinary graduates have a massive amount of knowledge regarding safe and effective evidence-based practices. Often, new and recent veterinary graduates are also terrified of making a medical error. Because of this, most early career professionals will ask experienced veterinarians for help if they do not feel confident in their own decisions or treatment plans.
This means that the decisions they do make have been carefully thought out and executed. An excellent mentor will support and trust the medical decisions of a new graduate thus empowering and building confidence in the young professional.
5. The Best Vet Mentors Have Empathy
A good mentor is often described as someone who can be empathetic to what a new graduate is experiencing. The transition to practice is extremely challenging, and we know from previous research that young veterinarians experience the lowest levels of well-being among all veterinarians.
An excellent mentor can empathize with the challenges that a new graduate is facing, and they are able to say, “I know how hard this transition can be.” Opening up and showing your vulnerability will allow the new graduate to have a safe space to share some of the challenges they may be facing.
6. Good Veterinary Mentors Practice Self-Care
Modeling healthy self-care practices suggests that it is encouraged to take care of yourself as a veterinarian. An excellent mentor will be able to demonstrate setting healthy boundaries, maintaining good work-life balance, and practicing stress management techniques.
If a new veterinary graduate witnesses these skills being enacted by their mentors, they will also be encouraged to take care of themselves. By creating an environment where self-care is encouraged, mentors have the potential to improve well-being and decrease veterinary burnout within their practice.
Conclusions
By honing these skills — active listening, willingness to answer questions, advocating, trusting, empathy, and self-care — vet mentors can become better at supporting early career veterinary professionals. If you are interested in seeking more training on becoming an excellent veterinary mentor, I recommend considering volunteering to be a vet mentor through MentorVet. All MentorVet volunteers receive a complimentary mentor training that is approved for 5 hours of RACE continuing education credits to help hone mentorship skills in the veterinary workplace.
