STS News, Winter 2021 — Cardiothoracic surgery is an extremely demanding profession, and those who have journeyed into the specialty credit mentorship as one of the most important factors influencing their professional success and satisfaction.
The Society has created a way to connect those seeking mentorship with seasoned surgeons who can help provide guidance and support—the STS Mentorship Program. Through this program, STS members at any career level can apply for mentorship or to become a mentor.
“We are helping make connections between up-and-coming cardiothoracic surgeons and those with expertise in their areas of interest,” explained David D. Odell, MD, MMSC, chair of the STS Mentorship Task Force. “We have an opportunity to do something cool—something that will have a lasting, positive effect on our specialty. That’s really powerful.”
The day-to-day practice of medicine demands the skillful balance of leadership, administrative, educational, and research expertise that cannot always be learned from a textbook or in a classroom. That’s why this program is so important.
The new Mentorship Program is designed to connect a younger surgeon with an experienced one who has been through similar situations and challenges. A mentor can offer advice and encouragement, as well as help chart a professional course and build a network. The relationship often is mutually beneficial, guaranteeing valuable engagement experiences for both parties.
Even though the program just launched, a good number of surgeon leaders already are committed and eager to help the future generation of cardiothoracic surgeons—many of whom are in the program queue as well.
Sign-up is available through the easy-to-use mentorship portal—sts.org/mentorshipportal. Whether interested in being a mentor or mentee, you will be required to provide contact information, practice type, and other details such as career objectives and areas of interest (e.g., practice building, clinical research, contract negotiations). It takes approximately 5 minutes to complete.
A few weeks after the application is submitted, STS will match the mentee with a mentor and facilitate the initial contact by email. After that, the mentor and mentee will drive their own experience; though in this current COVID environment, most of the communication likely will be via phone, email, and Zoom.
The application and mentor/mentee selection processes are ongoing. For more information about the program, contact mentorship@sts.org.