The Academy's Virtual Mentoring program defines mentors as physiatrists who have been in practice for 6 or more years. 

The intent of this program is to provide real-time guidance to early career physiatrists. If possible, mentors should try to respond to messages from protégés within 24 hours. Messaging happens via email through the MentorCity platform. Mentors can provide mobile numbers for more time-efficient texting, but this is not required. Mentors can work with up to five protégés.  

Benefits

The benefits of mentoring are many. Participating offers the chance to:

• Facilitate a protégé’s personal and professional growth by sharing knowledge gleaned from years of experience.
• Strengthen your coaching and leadership skills.
• Help bridge the gap between generations that have varying workplace values and styles.
• Get motivated to work smarter knowing you are responsible for providing guidance to a protégé.
• Explain why you do something a particular way, giving you a fresh perspective.
• Create a legacy – a lasting impact on your protégé and in physiatry. 

Mentors should:

• Actively listen
• Provide a fresh, objective viewpoint backed by expertise and experience
• Serve as an excellent sounding board
• Motivate and foster independence
• Be supportive, positive, interested and involved
• Act as a role model
• Call attention to blind spots before they become an issue
• Maintain confidences
• Facilitate a protégé’s personal and professional growth by sharing knowledge gleaned from years of experience
• Help bridge the gap between generations that have varying workplace values and styles