Since I started pharmacy school, I have a better appreciation for the importance of mentorship. I am very thankful for the individuals who have shared some of their time to help guide me through this new journey. The profession of pharmacy presents a wide range of opportunities so I always appreciate having others’ advices on how to best achieve my goals.
Some things can only be learned through experience. For that reason, having mentors can be extremely valuable, especially at the beginning of a career. During my internship at ASHP this past summer, I had the opportunity to meet Jaclyn Boyle. Jaclyn’s passion for our profession is truly inspiring. She has already accomplished a lot to help advance patient care and continues to go above and beyond to expand the role of pharmacists. Ever since I met Jaclyn, I knew I had a lot to learn from her. I highly value our mentoring relationship because not only do we share the same passion for our profession but we share a desire to always surpass our limits and help each other maximize our potential.
Mentorship can be life changing. Without mentors, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I find it very helpful to have people to look up to; individuals who you not only share goals with but who can also help guide some of your decisions. I chose to pursue a profession that is constantly evolving and I want to ensure that I can keep up and continue to learn throughout my entire career. I want to contribute to our profession to the best of my ability and having a mentor like Jaclyn can definitely help me meet this goal.
Here is Jaclyn’s perspective on mentorship:
As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” Mentoring is a way to contribute to others by dedicating yourself to your mentee’s well-being. To me, mentoring is about building a synergistic relationship based on common interests and goals. When I met my mentee during our shared experience at ASHP, we instantly developed a relationship based on shared passion for the profession of pharmacy and desire to learn more about ourselves. The nice thing about having an ambitious mentee is that they consciously or unconsciously push you to do more. For example, knowing that my mentee is depending on me for guidance and/or professional development, I am constantly thinking of ways that I can contribute to her success by seeking out new opportunities for her and for us.
No two mentor-mentee experiences are the same. I like to think of our relationship as a journey to a better place; somewhere neither of us would have gone to alone. As a mentee myself, I have observed key things that my mentors have done for me in order to be able to pass those qualities to my mentees. By investing in my mentees, I hope to contribute to the profession through others; something I could not accomplish with merely my own contributions.
Besides all of the benefits that the mentor and mentee gain from this experience, I feel that the continuity and advancement of the profession is derived from such relationships. The discovery of oneself through another helps us on the journey to having a successful career. In the midst of challenges, one can rely on a mentor for words of reassurance or advice that you may not want to hear. It is during those times when the mentoring relationship is tested and can become stronger. Mentoring provides benefits that extend far beyond the formal, outward expression of calling someone your “mentor” or “mentee”; personally, it is nice to know that I was able to help someone, even if it is in a small way.