Mentorship Program and Schedule

Mentoring is an ancient notion that dates to Indian and Greek mythology. First-year medical students come from a secure environment of the school with less number of students in each class, having spent time with the students of the same social and cultural backgrounds. When they enter a medical college, they get lost in the crowd with too many students in the same class coming from different backgrounds; these students face stress of complex medical course, peer pressure, and emotional immaturity. Therefore, it is the need of the hour to intervene and introduce mentorship program to this vulnerable group.

The benefits of mentoring may be seen in three major domains of the institution: the mentees, the mentors, and the medical school community. The benefits offered by this program to mentees are related to their career development; it enlightens their interest in research and inspires them to improve their academic performance. It further helps them emotionally and reduces their stress by improving their relationship with the mentors. The mentors are also benefitted as this program provides a sense of internal satisfaction, improves their teaching skills, and thus helps in personal development. In addition, the medical school community is also benefitted, as it improves clinical care, research as well as teaching.                                                                                                                           

Mentoring is known to promote development of professional skills irrespective of the discipline. It is a natural phenomenon that emanates from the desire of a senior and experienced individual to give and the need of an inexperienced novice to grow. Mutual trust, faith and respect while working towards a shared vision of objectives and achievements are the main driving force of a mentoring relationship. It requires the mentor to give selflessly and the mentee to accept graciously while conveying his needs and being an active partner in the process. A mentor is looked upon as a guide, confidante, counselor, teacher, friend, supporter, and much more in professional and career development as well as psychosocial or personal aspects. The mentee is expected to take a proactive role in guiding and managing the process. Despite a clear need for mentoring during and after medical school, very few medical schools in India foster this relationship. Most have student advisor programs or counselling cells that are oriented primarily to problem solving. There is also a lack of full understanding of the roles of a mentor or a mentee even though the terms are used rather frequently. A mentoring relationship could be formally established as a part of an institutional or departmental mentoring program, long term or short term, with a specific purpose; or, for overall career progression, individual or in a small group.

All the faculty members are allotted  5-8 mentees of the same phase. Mentor-Mentee meetings are meant to be conducted at least once a month. Mentors meet together once in 6 months. Mentors should keep the record of each meeting and a report should be given to the Co-ordinator of that phase who compiles the reports and send  Dean, Principal and  Mentorship chief co-ordinator once in 6 months.

I Phase  Co-ordinator: Dr Beena Kumari R, Professor of Physiology

II Phase  Co-ordinator: DrSmitha S, Associate Professor, Forensic Medicine

III Phase Part I  Co-ordinator: Dr  Anil Bindu, Professor of Community Medicine

III Phase Part II  Co-ordinator: Dr Nimmy P, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Mentorship co-ordinators organise Parent-Teacher-Student (PTS) meetings immediately after the First Internal Assessment Examination. Parents' are intimated through Email or over the phone to attend the meeting on a particular day/s. Teachers give feedback to the students and parents in view of the performance of the students in exam and the attendance in classes. The weak points of the students are identified and suggestions to improve their academic performance given. Such meetings are conducted regularly for all the batches.

The schedule of PTS meetings 2017-2020 are as follows:-