The profession of Podiatry is becoming more and more difficult every day. Ongoing decreases in reimbursements by insurance companies, increasing regulatory and record-keeping requirements, encroachment by non-physician practitioners into fields that were traditionally controlled by Doctors of Medicine, Osteopathy or Podiatry all play a part in making our lives and jobs more difficult and making it more difficult to get quality students to consider Podiatry as a career.

In addition to student recruitment efforts, becoming a Mentor to help develop students, both undergraduate and podiatry, and even during residency and early careers will help ensure Podiatry has a bright future. There are both long and short-term benefits to Mentorship for the Mentee and Mentor. I'll cover a few of these in this brief article about how to become a Mentor:

1.   Introduction to the Profession:

Student recruitment is the first step. Much of this has been covered in meetings, articles, etc. Merely asking a student to consider Podiatry as a career isn't enough. That's where the aspects of Mentoring come in. Have them follow you and answer questions (preferably on a day that's not too busy that you can't focus on them at times). Pick a day with some interesting things coming in so they don't get the impression that Podiatry is only about at-risk foot care. Share the pros and cons about the profession. Be honest about the bad parts, but play up the good parts. If you can't find good parts, you should probably not go further in being a Mentor.

2.   Early Mentoring:

This is still close to student recruitment, but also has aspects of mentoring. Once a High School or early College student expresses an interest in Podiatry as a potential career, be available to answer questions. Maybe they're wondering about elective classes to sign up for that will help when they get into Podiatry school. I've wished I had taken some basic anatomy classes as an undergraduate rather than botany classes. I'm sure most of us have similar regrets for the parts of Podiatry school we found a bit more difficult. Passing that knowledge on to a pre-Podiatry student can help smooth their path to becoming a colleague.

3.   Mid Path Mentoring:

MCAT time! Help them prep for it. Give suggestions on study guides, etc. Some of us that have been out of Podiatry School for more than a few...well...decades are saying, "how will I know that" (I'll cover that shortly). Help keep their confidence up. Something as simple as making sure they have access to a quiet space to study (maybe your office for a few hours on the weekend) could be helpful.   Then it becomes time to pick a Podiatry School. Naturally, each and every one of us went to the BEST Podiatry School and we have a connection there. However, that school may not be the best for your Mentee. Help them carefully consider their school choice. They may do better in a school with family support nearby rather than the closest school to their undergrad school. Help them understand their choices. Merely talking it out with someone who has undergone the same things helps a lot in making their decision. 

4.   Late Path Mentoring:

This will probably be the most involved for you as a Mentor as it will involve both mentoring a new podiatry student and on to residency. This is the scariest time in the students' training. They will be covering things they may not have seen before or in much greater depth than they previously learned. This will likely be the time you get more questions more frequently. You may have to look things up to help them out. Their instructors, just as yours were, are pretty good at what they do, but sometimes having it explained in a different way makes it easier to understand.  

Suggest outside rotations that may lead to a better residency. Help them through the Match process. Once they become a resident, your job isn't done. They'll still have questions. They may want to seek alternate viewpoints. Never criticize the Attending, but offer your point of view if asked as a possible alternative. This will help very much with their professional development.    

5.   Early Career Mentoring:

Now your Mentee is ready to go out on their own. This is a scary time. Residency is ending. Time to get on insurance plans, and decide on a practice to join. Sadly, this is another issue that both Podiatry and Medical Schools seem to fall short on (from my personal experience). I think this is a great disservice to students in Podiatry School, and most hospital-based residency programs don't give them any training at all. This is where you will become what most people would call a 'True Mentor'. Give guidance on how to navigate the minefields of business. One of my better memories of Podiatry School was during a surgery rotation in the school surgery center with several of us that were late 4th year students. The attending had his patient cancel the surgery at the last minute, so he asks us: "I can do the lecture on hammertoe surgery, but you've already seen several...what do you want to talk about?" It wound up being an hour lecture on practice management, pros/cons of being a sole practitioner (he was at the time), having a partner (had one formerly), keeping an eye on your money (previous practice manager had been skimming cash), dealing with insurances, etc. It was probably the most practical lecture we had and all the students enjoyed it. Be available to answer questions on patient care and business-related questions. Your Mentee may now be your new Associate in your practice, be working for a competitor, or even working across the country. You are still tasked with developing a highly respected and successful colleague.   

6.   Sharing Mentoring:

This falls back on how to study for the MCAT as mentioned in #3. I'd find the newest resident or rotating student and get their opinion and pass that on. Never be afraid to tell your Mentee, "I don't know the answer to that", but always be willing to ask someone that may know. If your Mentee thinks they may want to do complicated reconstructive surgeries (as a student), but you don't do them, see if you can find a substitute Mentor that will let them watch some cases. Share the load and the knowledge. Be available to other Mentors to help their Mentees.

7.   Passing on the Mantle:

After your Mentee has been out of residency for a while, they probably won't need to ask questions anymore. That's the time to recommend to them that they begin the process with their own Mentee. If you've been a good Mentor, they will probably jump at the opportunity.

8.   Benefits for the Mentor:

See One, Do One, Teach One. The old adage from Medicine. It applies here. Some of us are associated with a residency program, but many are not.  
By teaching your Mentee, you actually learn and build your professional capabilities. If they ask a question you can't answer, you'll learn by helping them find the answer. If you've done a good job, you will have a well-respected Podiatrist colleague that will help to grow the profession.    

9.   Losing the Mentee:

It will happen. That new freshmen college student may decide he wants to become an engineer instead of a Podiatrist. Maybe you did such a good job that they get a perfect score on the MCAT and are recruited by Harvard Medical School. So what? It was not time wasted, as now there's a professional out there that understands the profession of Podiatry better, and that gains our profession more respect. You've still done a good job. Your job was never to force them into Podiatry, but to give them guidance when they needed it.

There are clear benefits to you as an individual doctor, such as developing yourself professionally and gaining respect from your colleagues. There are also clear benefits for our profession...having a new, well-trained Podiatrist can only help strengthen both other medical professionals and the public's views of our profession and allow Podiatry to be a viable profession well into the future.