Alumni-Graduate Student Mentorship Program

Join the Alumni-Graduate Student Mentorship Program!

A one-on-one mentorship program matching alumni mentors with a Bloomberg Nursing graduate student. Mentors will share their valuable experiences and insights, while enriching our students’ university experience and helping them prepare for life after graduation.

Information for Mentees

Mentorship Program Overview

Applications Open in July 2024.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Jade Shortte, jade.shortte@utoronto.ca or 416-946-7097.

Connect with an Alumni Mentor and gain encouragement during your academic program and career guidance as you prepare to enter the workforce, all while having the opportunity to make professional contacts.

The mentorship cycle will run from September – June. An orientation session will be held in September, and we will check-in periodically throughout the program and will also be hosting a special event.

Each mentor/mentee match will decide how often they would like to meet, but a minimum of three (3) meetings during the school year is strongly recommended (i.e. Zoom/phone/in-person).

To be eligible, you must be enrolled as a 1st year and 2nd year Master of Nursing student, 1st year and 2nd year Post-Master Nurse Practitioner student, or a 2nd, 3rd or 4th year PhD student at Bloomberg Nursing in September 2024. Please note that we are unable to guarantee matches.

Benefits of having a mentor:

  • Increased knowledge about a prospective field or profession, including its values and culture
  • Increased personal knowledge and organizational awareness
  • Access to an effective learning practice that stimulates goal-oriented planning
  • Increased networking opportunities

Benefits of being a mentee:

  • Expand your professional and personal networks
  • Discover new strengths and build on existing ones
  • Increase your confidence in social and business settings
  • Enhance your engagement in the broader community
  • Learn from the experience and acquired wisdom of a committed supporter

Student Mentee Roles and Responsibilities

  • You should come to the relationship prepared. Successful mentorship experiences happen when students have questions in mind or activities to suggest when meeting their mentors.
  • It is important to have an idea of what you would like to learn as well as know what kind of mentoring relationship you want. Make sure to communicate these ideas to your mentor at the start of your relationship.
  • Embark on your mentorship relationship with three goals that will help you outline what you would like to achieve over the course of the year.
  • You should define the boundaries of your mentoring relationship early on. Remember that your mentor is a professional role model and guide (and not a counsellor).

Confidentiality in the mentoring relationship:

  • You and your mentor are responsible for identifying and observing areas of confidentiality for both the mentor and the mentee.
  • Areas of confidentiality may include personal or privileged industry information.
  • The mentor or mentee may disclose personal or confidential information to the Alumni Affairs Office if they have any concerns.

A mentor is not:

  • A tutor
  • A counsellor
  • Someone that the mentee approaches for a job
  • A personal healthcare advisor

A mentee is:

  • Proactive in and committed to cultivating the mentoring relationship
  • Respectful of the mentor’s time (i.e., is punctual and gives advance notice of cancellations)
  • Professional in their communications (in-person, over the phone/Zoom, or over email) and follows up meetings with a thank-you email (or phone call)
  • Prepared with questions and issues to discuss in advance of the meeting (i.e., has an agenda for the meeting)
  • Willing to participate in an open and honest discussion about their background, interests, work experiences, and about their career goals
  • Respectful of the confidentiality and privacy of the mentor

Information for Alumni Mentors

Overview

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Jade Shortte, jade.shortte@utoronto.ca or 416-946-7097.

By volunteering as a mentor — you can make an impact on a student’s future while strengthening your leadership skills.

Your mentee will be a 2nd year Master of Nursing student, 2nd year Post-Master Nurse Practitioner student, or a 2nd, 3rd or 4th year PhD student at Bloomberg Nursing.

Pairs will be matched based on educational and professional information, as well as details pertaining to participants’ interests, personality, and their community-based activities and priorities.

The mentorship cycle will run from September – June. An orientation session will be held in September and we will check-in periodically throughout the program. We will also host a professional development event.

Each mentor/mentee match will decide how often they would like to meet, but a minimum of three meetings during the school year is strongly recommended (i.e. Zoom/phone/in-person).

Please note that we are unable to guarantee matches. We will keep your submission on file for future matches and opportunities.

Benefits of being a mentor:

Throughout the mentorship program, you will have the opportunity to:

  • Improve your leadership skills

  • Share your experience and knowledge

  • Reflect upon your own career

  • Build your professional network

You will also:

  • Gain the satisfaction of helping someone else
  • Contribute to a student’s learning and professional development

Mentoring benefits a student by providing:

  • Increased knowledge about your field, including its values and culture
  • Increased personal knowledge and organizational awareness
  • Access to an effective learning practice that stimulates goal-oriented planning
  • Increased networking opportunities

It has been a pleasure to be part of the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing’s Alumni-Graduate Student Mentorship Program. In my opinion, mentorship is one of the most important aspects of role transition and success as a new graduate nurse practitioner (NP).

Eric Staples, Alumni Mentor 2021-2022

Alumni Mentor Roles and Responsibilities

The mentor’s role is to:

  • Share knowledge about a particular profession or field
  • Act as a resource for professional contact in a particular field
  • Encourage and support their mentee’s career goals and leadership development

A good mentor:

  • Has strong active listening and communication skills
  • Stimulates the student’s own thinking and reflection, and supports his or her personal development
  • Is available and willing to connect with his or her mentee, giving appropriate guidance and feedback
  • Is open-minded, flexible, empathetic, and encouraging

A mentor is not:

  • A tutor
  • A counsellor
  • Someone that the mentee approaches for a job
  • A personal healthcare advisor

Confidentiality in the mentoring relationship:

  • You and your mentee are responsible for identifying and observing areas of confidentiality for both the mentee and the mentor.
  • Areas of confidentiality may include personal or privileged industry information.
  • The mentor or mentee may disclose personal or confidential information to the Alumni Affairs Office if they have any concerns.