. 2019 Apr 24;14(4):e0214643. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214643

Table 1. The PMI novice mentoring approach.

The Palliative Medicine Initiative (PMI) Novice Mentoring approach
1. All mentors recruited to the PMI were experienced clinicians and of consultant or attending grade at the Department of Palliative Medicine (DPM) at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and were registered Palliative Medicine specialists with the Singapore Medical Council. 2. All mentors were provided with mentor training to ensure a consistent novice mentoring approach [20–22]. 3. Mentee-initiated matching was promoted to create enduring and personalized relationships [23–25]. The PMI offered all medical students the opportunity to initiate one-to-one mentoring relationships with one of 6 PMI mentors at DPM during their 2-week Palliative Medicine electives. 4. Medical students were given the opportunity to work with mentors of the same gender and background in keeping with prevailing reports that this improved mentoring outcomes [25–28]. 5. Mentees were briefed on the professional, mentoring and research interests of the 4 female and 2 male PMI mentors and provided guidance on how to select a mentor. 6. PMI mentees were also informed of a mentor’s and mentee’s roles and responsibilities and briefed on the PMI’s individual face-to-face, dyadic mentoring approach to better prepare them for the PMI mentoring process [21, 23, 29–33]. 7. As with other mentoring programs at the time, mentees who had selected a mentor, were invited to attend pre-mentoring meetings where mentees and mentors discussed potential research topics, their aspirations, expectations and concerns and established the goals, timelines, roles and responsibilities, expectations, codes of conduct and the frequency of face-to-face meetings [34–36]. 8. Unlike most programs the PMI program could not provide mentees with ‘protected time’. Most of the mentoring process within the PMI took place in the mentee’s spare time with only two weeks of their involvement in the PMI given academic recognition by the university. 9. PMI mentors were provided with ‘protected time’ to pursue their education and mentoring projects [37]. 10. As with many of the prevailing programs at the time mentor contributions to the PMI program and mentoring successes were considered in their yearly appraisals and in applications for promotion and academic credentialing [22, 24, 38–40]. PMI mentors were also given priority for funding and leave for education meetings and conferences.

The Palliative Medicine Initiative (PMI) Novice Mentoring approach

1. All mentors recruited to the PMI were experienced clinicians and of consultant or attending grade at the Department of Palliative Medicine (DPM) at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and were registered Palliative Medicine specialists with the Singapore Medical Council.
2. All mentors were provided with mentor training to ensure a consistent novice mentoring approach [20–22].
3. Mentee-initiated matching was promoted to create enduring and personalized relationships [23–25]. The PMI offered all medical students the opportunity to initiate one-to-one mentoring relationships with one of 6 PMI mentors at DPM during their 2-week Palliative Medicine electives.
4. Medical students were given the opportunity to work with mentors of the same gender and background in keeping with prevailing reports that this improved mentoring outcomes [25–28].
5. Mentees were briefed on the professional, mentoring and research interests of the 4 female and 2 male PMI mentors and provided guidance on how to select a mentor.
6. PMI mentees were also informed of a mentor’s and mentee’s roles and responsibilities and briefed on the PMI’s individual face-to-face, dyadic mentoring approach to better prepare them for the PMI mentoring process [21, 23, 29–33].
7. As with other mentoring programs at the time, mentees who had selected a mentor, were invited to attend pre-mentoring meetings where mentees and mentors discussed potential research topics, their aspirations, expectations and concerns and established the goals, timelines, roles and responsibilities, expectations, codes of conduct and the frequency of face-to-face meetings [34–36].
8. Unlike most programs the PMI program could not provide mentees with ‘protected time’. Most of the mentoring process within the PMI took place in the mentee’s spare time with only two weeks of their involvement in the PMI given academic recognition by the university.
9. PMI mentors were provided with ‘protected time’ to pursue their education and mentoring projects [37].
10. As with many of the prevailing programs at the time mentor contributions to the PMI program and mentoring successes were considered in their yearly appraisals and in applications for promotion and academic credentialing [22, 24, 38–40]. PMI mentors were also given priority for funding and leave for education meetings and conferences.