Welcome to the ICS Mentorship Programme!
The ICS has established a list of individuals who are willing to serve as mentors. Using the list just identify and approach the mentor of your choice. After the mentor’s agreement, you can establish a relationship and discuss expectations. The rest is then over to you!
Background
The strategic aim of the ICS is “to be the global home of science and clinical education for LUTS, Incontinence and Pelvic Floor Disorders”. The mentorship programme is designed to provide early career professionals linked with the ICS, guidance in planning their scientific and clinical career, leadership development, specific instruction on designing, conducting and submitting academic work, and pursuing and providing suitable educational programmes. A structured mentorship programme within the ICS will complete the strategic aim of the society - well equipped with internationally renowned experts in LUTS, Incontinence, and Pelvic Floor Disorders - by mentoring young colleagues around the world to foster the best science and clinical education possible around the world.
Search the list of current ICS mentors
Become a mentor here
Target audience
Early career professionals and professionals at various levels of expertise deriving from less developed medical educational infrastructure.
Exclusive to ICS Members
Both the mentor and the mentee need to be ICS members
What is a mentorship programme?
A mentor may share with a mentee information about his or her own career path, as well as provide guidance, motivation, emotional support, and role modeling. A mentor may help with exploring careers, setting goals, developing contacts, and identifying resources. The mentor may provide hands-on guidance with academic work, writing, or presentation style in some cases. The mentor role may change as the needs of the mentee change. In a digitalized world, mentorship can easily be implemented by online communication. Formal meeting during annual or regional ICS meetings is an expectation of the Mentorship programme. While the mentor invests his or her time to help, the mentee must also participate and actively pursue learning. The minimum time investment is one hour per year. Time expectations should be clear from the beginning.
Role of the mentor
• Takes a long-range view of the mentee’s growth and development.
• Helps the mentee to see the destination and adjusts level of detail to needs, style of mentor, and time available.
• Offers encouragement and constructive criticism.
A Mentor Does Not
• Function as an advocate of the mentee in the society’s environment.
• Tell the mentee how to do things.
• Take responsibility for mentee’s success or failure.
The American Psychological Association lists characteristics of effective mentoring to include "the ability and willingness” to:
• value the mentee as a person;
• develop mutual trust and respect;
• maintain confidentiality;
• listen both to what is being said and how it is being said;
• help the mentee solve his or her own problem, rather than give direction;
• focus on the mentee's development and resist the urge to produce a “clone."
The Mentee's Responsibilities
• Being coachable and open to hearing positive and negative feedback.
• Openly ask for advice or critiques, be a good listener.
• To provide structure for the relationship, specify up front some initial career goals.
• Schedule communication with the mentor and keep the appointments faithfully.
• Keep track of the discussions with the mentor and follow up on the agreed steps when you meet.
How would a mentorship programme specifically apply to ICS activities?
• developing contacts within the ICS community
• provide guidance and identify resources within the ICS educational platforms (Institute and Committee pages, ICS publications, SOPs, Faculty Development Videos)
• provide motivation to actively participate in the ICS (committees, abstracts, workshops, Early Career events)
• provide guidance and motivation to present research at ICS events
• exploring careers within ICS affiliated trainers
• transferring mentee to new mentors if new direction becomes appropriate
• former committee members mentoring new members and guiding them through various tasks they might need to fulfill within the ICS community
Process
• The ICS establishes a list of faculty individuals who are willing to serve as mentors
• The mentee identifies and approaches the mentor of his choice
• After the mentor’s agreement, they establish a relationship, discuss and compare expectations
Checklist for discussion at first meeting
• View of what a mentor relationship should be
• Time available for upcoming year
• Needs of Mentee presently
• Mentee’s Career goals
• Path of Mentor to present
• Mentor’s self view of offerings to Mentee
• Process for upcoming year
• Responsibility of each party
• Problem solving plans
In order to support your choice of mentor the ICS Education Committee have prepared these two videos from Elise De and Margot Damaser when speaking at the ICS Early Career Session in Philadelphia at ICS 2018. Elise is the current Chair of the committee and Margot previously spent 6 years on the committee. Their expertise and personal experience of selecting mentors, and being mentors will provide you with invaluable knowledge whilst seeking an ICS Mentor.