What is PLSP
PLSP is a career stabilization entrepreneurship programme for all intern pharmacists across Nigeria. Our aim to the build the interns on our programme to be the Elite Pharmacy Force that will improve the sector.
What is mentoring?
Mentoring is the professional relationship between an experienced person (mentor) and another (mentee). It is a learning and development partnership between someone with vast experience and someone who wants to learn. This relationship is one in which the mentor assists the mentee in developing specific skills and knowledge that will enhance the less- experienced person’s professional and personal growth.
What is the mentorship program?
Mentoring and Coaching is the third element of the PLSP. It is one of the most valuable resources at the PLSP. We connect interns on our programme with Mentors who are industry leaders. Our mentors bring decades of experience in strategy, healthcare, professionalism, technology, sales, business, management and other fields. Many have started companies themselves and most have worked with start-ups.
Who is a mentee?
The mentee is the student who needs to absorb the mentor’s knowledge and have the ambition and desire to know what to do with this knowledge. As a student, the mentee needs to practice and demonstrate what has been learned.
What is my role as a mentee?
The key role of a mentor is to actively share, be open to your mentor. Allow your mentor to take the lead in the relationship, listen and respect opportunities, limitations and format of the relationship. Always act with courtesy and respect.
Some needed skills include
- Active listening skills
- Eagerness to learn and admission
- Ability and Willingness to work as a team player
- Patience and Humility
- Exhibition of a positive attitude
- Receiving Feedback As a mentee you are expected to prepare the goals and objective of all the meetings with your mentor, meet deadlines and do all assignments.
Will I pay for the programme?
The PLSP is absolutely free for Intern Pharmacists.
You will also have access to recognition from the PCN, and exclusive access to our networking session for all mentors and industry leaders.
How will I be matched with a mentor?
On the mentor’s form, we will use your personal and professional goals, strengths, industry/sector, and the personality test.
That information will be evaluated and matched with the information being received from the mentees.
How often should I meet with my mentee?
An appropriate length of time to mentor a mentee should be one hour monthly. We often require that our mentors schedule a meeting each month. Mentors are to keep engage with the mentee for a minimum of one hour monthly.
It may be easiest to set monthly meetings for the same time each month for ease of scheduling. Never leave a meeting without confirming your next meeting.
Where is the best location to meet with my mentee?
There are no best locations to meet a mentee. The two parties should set an agreed location/channel to use for communication and engagement. These could be physical meet, phone meeting, online platforms (skype) or using the platform’s communication channel.
Please ensure at all meetings, avoid distractions.
How often should I respond to the mentee’s requests?
Kindly respond to the mentee requests in a timely manner and via the method agreed upon in the first contact.
What should we discuss during our monthly meetings?
You and your mentee should articulate initial goals for the relationship. The mentoring relationship can focus on several different areas including
- Skill development,
- Career guidance and
- Professional growth. Using these themes, You may choose to talk about other topics necessary for your mentee’s development.
Whose role is it to prepare the agenda or set the focus for each session?
Mentees should generate the agenda and focus for each session. Mentors may give assignments’ for completion by next meeting.
What type of questions should I ask my mentee?
The questions you ask your mentee should be centered on the goals for the relationship and include any relevant topics.
Some illustrative questions to ask your mentee are listed below. These questions should provide a good start in beginning conversations with your mentee:
Professional Development
- What successes do you feel you’ve had recently in your job? Why were they a success?
- What important issues have you been addressing?
- In what ways do you feel you motivate others on your team?
- Do you have a strategy for influencing others?
- Have you had a recent circumstance at work that required you to manage conflict? How did you handle it?
- Which relationships are particularly difficult for you at work?
- Where and how could you improve the effectiveness of your team?
- What tough decisions have you had to make in your job recently?
- What changes have taken place in your department recently? What opportunities or challenges do you feel they create for you?
- What decisions are easiest for you to make and which ones are the most difficult? Why?
- In what ways are you soliciting feedback about your performance? Career Guidance
- What prompted you to take your current job?
- What areas of your career would you like to develop?
- What do you see as the next logical step for your career? What doubts do you have that you may be able to reach the next step?
- What is your long term vision for your career?
- What are your educational goals? Personal Development
- What are your current strengths and developmental areas?
- What steps would you like to take to improve in these areas?
- What individuals/books/events have most impacted who you are?
- Do you feel that your work life balance is effective?
- What are you passionate about?
Is it my responsibility to find my mentee employment?
No, it is not your responsibility to find your mentee a job. If you feel there is a connection between the pairing, feel free to invite another person along for your time together, or introduce them to people in a recruitment position. This can expand the mentees network rapidly and facilitate job opportunities. Offering to help polish your mentee’s resume and discussing interview tips is also a great idea.
What if my mentee and I do not get along?
A great way to understand each other is to be knowledgeable in how they think. Communication is your first line of defense. Otherwise, feel free to contact us, we can explore other options.
Can I have more than one mentee?
Yes! There are always more students than mentors available. When a mentor is willing to have more than one mentee, it is a fantastic opportunity to give back to others.
Will I formally evaluate my mentee?
The mentor/mentee relationship is very different from the manager/employee relationship. Mangers are responsible for the day to day management of the employee’s performance while mentors provide guidance to the mentee on their own development but do not participate in any formal evaluation of the mentee. However, a short survey on the mentee over the mentorship period will be filled by the mentors.
Successful Mentor/mentee relationships are founded in trust and confidentiality.
Can I continue my relationship longer than one year?
Of course! Beyond the one year mark, mentor/mentee relationships continue based on the mutual interest of both parties. Officially, the program winds down after twelve months, but some of the best mentoring relationships continue well past the end of any formal, organizationally sanctioned timeframe.
How do I end a mentoring relationship?
Mentors may end a mentoring relationship if it is not being mutually productive, your availability or priorities have changed, or if the relationship is not working out. Kindly inform the mentee reasons why you are ending the relationship and also communicating such reason to us. The will enable us arrange a new mentor for the mentee.
What is the next step after a mentoring relationship ended?
As soon as the mentoring relationship has ended, please complete the Mentor Survey about your experience.
Are there other resources for mentors?
Mentors attend a networking session at no cost to the mentor. This is an excellent chance for mentors to get together and discuss their experiences, challenges, and what has worked in the past for successful mentors.
Another resource is a List with names and contact info available for other mentors who may have a different specialty than you.