Table 5. Quotes That Illustrate Each of the Main Actions Performed by a Mentor.

Checking In

“They tell me what they are doing. If they are working on any research projects, administrative things that they are doing, some teaching that they might be doing, they start asking me questions and we bounce back and forth. They ask for feedback about how they are doing, and I have not had to help them change direction because I think they are going in the right direction. That is kind of the way, and for having done this for 25 years.” (102) “The one mentor that I will point out was initially a faculty member in the residency where I was. But the reality is that we were both the same age. We were in the same stage of life in terms of family, in terms of life cycle development. We were both MD, PhDs... We clicked and became best friends. But in the process, we also help each other. When he is making a decision or I am making a decision, we talk. We balance with it out. But we begin that conversation by saying, "Hey, how are your kids? what is going on? What is going on with so and so." I think it is the quality of the relationship that is an important piece.” (101)

Listening

“So she did not necessarily ever have to write a letter of recommendation or do anything in particular, it was just more she was far enough ahead of me that I could ask her questions about what to do.” (114) “I mean there was a particular female faculty who arrived at my previous medical school at about the same time. So we talked a lot about what she wanted her career to be and how she wanted her life to turn out. That was probably over the space of the whole 22 years that we were at the same institution.” (110)

Sharing Wisdom

“And I know with family physicians who are often not great with systems workers, but we don't always know a lot of the in's and out's of how, of what's important and how things work. So, I think it's been critically important for others to share with me what's valued and how the how the world works and to share those out.” (118) “He was just intentional about providing opportunities for growth or opportunities for leadership.” (120)

Directing

“And even if I was pretty sure I knew what I wanted to do in a given situation, I will go get perspective from one of those folks just to hear their take on it. Occasionally, I'd be surprised and get a completely 180 opinion from what I thought I wanted to do and that is always eye-opening. But even when they were in agreement with me, sometimes… if I wanted to take a right turn and they agreed with the right turn but for completely different reasons that was educational for me.” (115) “I was focusing on three projects… he very gently said, ‘I know these are all important to you. Every time you go away over there to work on that third project, you are kind of pulling your energy, and your attention, your focus away from the other two when it is not additive.’ He did not say, you need to give up, he said, you need you think about it, and you need to think about where you want to [go], where your work could be more additive. It was hard… I felt like it was a one of those moments where I felt supported. I felt guided in a place that I did not realize I had my own blind spot.” (111)

Supporting

“Well, I will say that probably one of my first professional mentors was my residency program director at the time when I was a resident and not only did he guide my progression through the residency, but he became really a source of wisdom and guidance for my first job after residency.” (109) “When Dr. [name] came, he was just the same way, warm, supportive, and open-door. I do not know that we had any kind of scheduled time. But anytime I had a problem or concern or whatever, he was always available to me.” (113)

Collaborating

“I have, for example, a new faculty member… We meet monthly. We write papers together. We will do those sorts of things.” (101) “I think it is kind of a combination of... On my end, I just making myself available and saying, "How can I help you?" Or how can we work together?” (112)