Brian Harmych, MD

, I discussed the importance of forming successful physician mentor-mentee relationships.

Here are 10 things physician mentors can do to help foster healthy, long-term relationships with their mentees. Please add your tips for physician mentors in the comments section below.

 Psychosocial psychologist Erik Erikson talks about the idea of "generativity," or guiding the next generation.  To be a great physician mentor means passing along your knowledge and skills to your mentee so that he can benefit his and future generations.  Mentorship serves as a vehicle for shaping the future of medicine, not for self-gratification. 

. This is a prerequisite to the mentor-mentee relationship.  If you don’t care for your protÃ©gÃ©, the mentor-mentee relationship cannot truly exist.

. Competition is a fundamental human condition and can drive us to do great things, however, it can also lead to egotism.  Egotism is damaging to the mentor-mentee relationship, as well as medicine at large.  Realize this and be mindful of situations where ego may be interfering with proper judgment or treatment of your mentee. 

. Your protÃ©gÃ© may go on to do great things and this should not be viewed as "stealing your thunder."  In fact, you should expect that your mentee will surpass you.  As parents view the accomplishments of their children as affirmation of proper guidance, so should you see your mentee’s success.  Remaining mindful of this potential pitfall will ensure your mentee does not inadvertently become a threat to your ego.

. There are two sides to the mentor-mentee relationship, a personal side and a professional one.  Your professional relationship comes first and foremost. Through mutual respect and admiration, the professional relationship slowly evolves into a friendship.  Mutual respect and admiration stems from your mentee seeing his future self in you as the mentor, and you seeing a reflection of yourself in the mentee.

. Know that your mentee will make mistakes and be sure to allow opportunity for them.  Mistakes and failures are the building blocks of accomplishment and success.  They should be viewed as "teachable moments" allowing you to carefully point out to the mentee how to avoid mistakes in the future.  Exercise patience when dealing with your mentee in these situations.

7. Be honest about your own mistakes and failures

. Your mentee is not the only one who will make mistakes, you will too.  When you make a mistake, be sure to acknowledge the mistake and pass on what you learned to your mentee.

. Set time aside to sit down and talk to your mentee.  During this time, provide feedback and encourage your mentee to give you feedback about yourself.  Mentorship is a two-way street, both participants should learn from this experience.  

. Give your mentee breathing room.  Whether it is in dealing with a patient, performing a surgery or presenting a case, in order for your mentee to grow he needs to be able to take on more of the workload.  You have to be OK with that and be willing to let him "run the show."  This goes hand-in-hand with allowing for mistakes.

. This aspect of the mentor-mentee relationship is the most pervasive, echoing through all aspects of the mentor-mentee relationship.  Harvey Max Chochinov, MD PhD, said, "Physicians who lack humility talk 

 their patients; physicians who are sufficiently humble talk 

 their patients."  In this same why, humble mentors talk 

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Advice for physicians currently serving as mentors to other physicians. 

Ten Ways to Serve as a Great Physician Mentor

“I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.”
- Hippocratic Oath (

The profession of medicine has always been deeply rooted in the belief of passing the torch to those who follow in our footsteps.  My practice philosophy, work ethic, knowledge, and skills have all been shaped in some way by other physicians. 

I know I would not be where I am today without the guidance of my physician mentors.  I not only desire, but feel it is my duty, to pass on what I’ve learned to those who follow in my footsteps.     
      


What makes a great mentor-mentee relationship?


The word “mentor” comes from Homer’s Odyssey where Mentor, Odysseus’ loyal adviser, served as a surrogate father and teacher for Odysseus’ son Telemachus while Odysseus was off fighting the Trojan War. 

However, in reality the mentor and protÃ©gÃ© relationship is not so patriarchic.  In my experience, the best mentor-mentee relationships have been informal and stem from a mutual trust where both individuals play an active role in fostering the relationship. 

These relationships have benefitted me both professionally, such as in career advancement, and personally, such as in support, guidance and role modeling.  Even after my mentor-mentee relationships have ended, I have remained close personal friends with many of my mentors. 




I believe all physicians can benefit from having a mentor.  Even mentors need mentors. 

Mentorships often result in greater career benefits such as career satisfaction and fulfillment, as well as greater benefits to organizations that encourage mentorships. 

Those who have mentors gain more power in organizations and advance at a faster rate than those who do not.  Also, mentees receive more promotions, higher compensation, and greater career mobility than non-protÃ©gÃ©s.




I’ve experienced firsthand the personal gratification that comes from being a mentor.  Nothing is more satisfying than seeing how you were personally responsible for a mentee’s growth. 

Knowing all the lives your mentee will touch based on the ways you have molded and shaped them is a gift that gives in perpetuity.

These relationships have also exposed my own limitations, prompting me to grow in areas in which I was deficient.  Many of these relationships have even evolved into some of my closest personal friendships.




During residency, we were assigned community mentors.  These forced formalized relationships all too often resulted in only a single meeting where both parties showed a general disinterest in one another and close relationships were hardly ever formed. 

In contrast, I’ve noticed that most successful mentorships are where the mentee is sought by the mentor.  Mentors usually seek out mentees who have characteristics that resonate with them.  The mentor sees promise in the mentee as someone who will help carry on his legacy. 

In situations where mentors are sought, I believe mentees should seek those who have achieved what they desire and envision for themselves.  The mentor should serve as the mentee’s role model for how to obtain this vision. 
I have sought mentors who maintain a work-life balance, are successful both in and out of their careers and those that enjoy fostering deep personal relationships.



What are the pitfalls of having a mentor?


While many physician blogs tout the benefits of having mentors, the disadvantages are often not discussed.  Not every relationship will be as auspicious as the famed Osler-Cushing relationship. 

For instance, I have noticed that mentees are often not as selective as they should be when choosing a mentor.  Many times a mentee will become enamored with a mentor’s positive characteristics, neglecting to see the negative aspects. 

To avoid this common pitfall the mentee should practice mindfulness, continuously filtering both the “good” and “bad” qualities of the mentor.  The mentee should then model and adapt only those traits which are desirable.  Neglecting to do so may be detrimental to the mentee’s professional or even personal life.                

The guidance of my physician mentors and the knowledge I gained from serving as a mentor myself has had a great, positive impact on my career as a physician.  

Forming Successful Physician Mentor-Mentee Relationships

The ability to focus is one the greatest strengths of most physicians.  However, like most strengths, it can also be a weakness.  By hyper-focusing, physicians tend to develop tunnel vision and block out some of the less popular career options after residency and fellowship training.  Based on my own experience, I believe that one of the best opportunities available to private practice physicians is locum tenens. 

I worked as a locum tenens physician for about two years.  Through my experience I gained some interesting perspective into locum tenens, healthcare, as well as medical education and training.  This new perspective has cleared up some of my own tunnel vision and truly helped shape my practice for the better.


Locum tenens physicians typically work in underserved areas where there is a great need for their specialty.  Positions are often in hospitals or private practices, where locum tenens doctors cover for staff on days off, vacation, or medical leave.  These temporary assignments can range from one day to several months, or longer depending on the need and availability of the physician.  However, physicians usually have flexibility to choose the location and time commitment of the assignment. 


One of the biggest benefits of locum tenens, especially for the private practice physician, is a newfound perspective.  

As a locum tenens physician, I worked in a variety of healthcare settings and was able to observe how different hospital systems and private practices operate.  I worked in two locations: Bangor, Maine and Zanesville, Ohio. While these two locations are geographically very different, the issues affecting the healthcare systems were extraordinarily similar.

Observing and working in these different healthcare systems provided me some insight into how to best operate my own practice.  I implemented what worked well while avoiding the inefficiencies and pitfalls I observed.  This gave me a competitive advantage.

In addition, I was able to experience paid travel and the satisfaction that comes from helping an underserved community.


I believe that locum tenens is a great option for physicians who are not ready to make a full-time commitment or sign a long-term contract.  Locum tenens can help these physicians identify where they might look to practice in the future, and can provide important lessons regarding how they can practice more successfully (as my locum tenens experience did for me).
Physicians looking to supplement their salary during vacation days or practitioners who are nearing retirement and no longer desire a full-time position may also want to consider this option.


In general, locum tenens physicians work as independent contractors and are considered self-employed. Those who are averse to working in this manner may not be a good fit.  While significant tax benefits exist for independent contractors, filing taxes in this manner tends to complicate the yearly tax filing.  Those that prefer a straightforward tax filing may prefer an employed position.  As an independent private practice physician, I was already dealing with many of these tax “headaches” and did not view any of the tax implications as problematic.

Also, locum tenens may not be ideal for physicians with responsibilities to family that might interfere with travel.  Although some assignments allow for family travel, school and extracurricular obligations may preclude physicians from bringing their family along.  My wife and I have three children under the age of 5.  My early locum tenens assignments made things difficult for her at home while I was away.  On several occasions, my wife had to take care of a sick child on her own without my presence.  However, support from both of our families helped during these moments.


The career path in medicine is one that tends to be dogmatic and linear.  Physicians, hyper-focused on their career, often do not deviate from the well-worn path.  Those who do are looked at skeptically. 

Physicians should take some time to explore all of their options, especially locum tenens.  Locum tenens allows physicians to gain insight and perspective into medical systems and healthcare.  This not only improves one’s understanding of healthcare but can improve a physician’s overall approach to operating his practice.  Although locum tenens does have some downsides, the advantages greatly outweigh the disadvantages.  For the open-minded physician who is looking for a great opportunity, consider locum tenens.

Based on my own experiences as a locum tenens physician, I believe that it is one of the best opportunities available to private practice physicians.  

An Overlooked Opportunity for Private Practice Physicians

For many new medical practices, the difference between success and failure can be attributed to how quickly they build a referral base. But this is no easy task. 

While there are three main sources of referrals for practices - word-of-mouth, marketing campaigns, and physician colleagues - only one of these sources is likely to be successful and practical for most new practices.

The first source of referrals, word-of-mouth, is generally considered the gold standard for new patient acquisition. It is relatively easy for established private practices to experience word-of-mouth referrals, but new private practice physicians may not have the patient base to generate these types of referrals.  The second source of referrals, marketing campaigns, presents another challenge, as marketing is often a financial drain for new physicians who have a smaller budget than their more-established counterparts.

Therefore, new physicians must rely mainly on referrals from physician colleagues to establish a referral base.

Obtaining referrals from other physicians may at first seem like a daunting task.  Fortunately, there are a few fundamentals to keep in mind that will make the process much easier.   As a physician just starting out in private practice, proper execution of these fundamentals is paramount.  However, even well-established physicians should not rest on their laurels when it comes to each of these key components. 


More than likely, a physician already sends referrals to another doctor.  If you’re looking to compete with these other doctors for referrals, one of the best ways is to simplify the referral process.  Good communication is essential in this endeavor.  Be direct, clear, and concise about what specific services and procedures you specialize in and what type of referrals you are seeking.  Furthermore, be very clear about what services or procedures distinguish your practice from the potential referrer's existing referral patterns. In other words, you must know your unique selling proposition and be able to communicate this well.  Also, make yourself available; let the physician know that he can call you personally at any time for any reason. 


Put together clear and concise information to give to other physicians.  This information can be presented in the form of a rack card, bullet-point list of services and specialties, or small informational packet or brochure.   However, don’t overwhelm a physician with too many materials.  Make sure any information you distribute to other doctors is completely necessary.  Be sure the materials have a clear delineation for referrals.  Also, provide enough materials for the physician to hand out to patients; this makes patient communication easier while allowing you to keep your voice and image intact. 


Avoid becoming complacent once you obtain your referral sources.  Make sure to maintain regular contact and provide follow-up information to referring physicians on any patients they refer.  Let them know your plans for the patient and how long you intend to follow them.  Just as a good physician wouldn’t send a patient away without post-operative instructions, a good consultant would always remember to communicate the assessment, plan, and disposition to the referring physician.  Also, know what types of patient referrals the referring physicians are seeking and refer other patients to them as necessary.  Finally, be sure to say “thank you” to your referral sources, send cards, and let them know they are appreciated. 

In summary, obtaining and maintaining a strong referral base is imperative to developing a successful private practice. Like any good relationship, it is integral to start with a solid foundation.  Keeping these fundamentals in mind just might make the difference between a successful practice and one that is not.
 

Here are three strategies private medical practices can use to obtain and maintain a strong referral base. 

Author | Brian Harmych, MD

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