Mentoring the MHAM CM mentors with Dr. Lourdes Tolod and Dr. Agaton Panopio Jr.
Having been challenged and committed to improve the conditions and practices that affect MHAM mentees’ success and lifelong learning, a whole day workshop on Mentoring Program was conducted to MHAM full time mentors at the AVR 4-5 last August 20, 2017.
WEAREMHAM mentors: The beatitudes of teachers in prayer
Since faculty-doctors are doing multi tasks for two things as clinicians and teachers, they were being challenged to be supportive with innovative approach especially in dealing with the millennial mentees.
When doctor-mentors are energized…
The first ever mentoring program for a more meaningful commitment was conducted to the MHAM mentors last October 21, 2016 who were then challenged to provide professional socialization and personal support to all MHAM mentees along with their medical studies and beyond.
With the MHAM CM College Dean, Dr. Ma. Socorro Manaloto
With event-speakers, Dr. Lourdes G. Tolod and Dr. Agaton T. Panopio Jr. of Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan
Sharing their expertise and valuable insights based from long years of hands-on experiences in the teaching field, Dr. Agaton Panopio Jr. and Dr. Lourdes Tolod, both professors from Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan, reminded their attendees that pre-med is entirely different from medicine when it comes to students’ coping skills and in establishing a satisfying work-life balance.
Although there have been no researches made as to what really are the procedures in coming up with the mentoring program but giving importance of guiding the students to improve their skills to become globally-competitive is a mentor’s responsibility.
As mentors are called for possible functions being a teacher, sponsor, advisor, agent, role model, coach and confidante, mentoring has become widespread and have been introduced in various medical professions.
According to Dr. Panopio Jr. who is also considered as the father of MHAM mentors, there are do’s and don’ts in every aspect of mentoring wherein a mentor should not lose critical oversight, disallow friendship and forbid favoritism.
Interview with Agaton Panopio Jr., MD
“As far as mentoring program is concerned, we just want to make sure that our students are very well-guided. Medicine is very strenuous and we want to minimize the stresses as much as possible and one way which we can do that is through mentoring”, said Dr. Panopio in an interview.
This MHAM academic consultant also added that mentors should find out if there are certain attitudinal problems of the mentees, thus, reflection papers should be developed to each mentee. Reflection papers can be used either to address a particular concern of the mentee or to refer it to the over-all coordinator of the mentoring program depending on the problem of the mentee. Dr. Panopio also emphasized that each mentor has his or her own logbook so that every time the mentee is met by the mentor, the former signs in that particular logbook and the latter will also write to whatever problem that the mentee has. To complete, the logbook should be confidential.
MHAM mentors in a group sharing
The MHAM mentors were divided into four groups during the workshop and presented their work during the group reporting wherein Dr. Panopio gave his fatherly critics and constructive alignment for a more meaningful commitment.
WEAREMHAM mentors: Let the workshop begins
Meanwhile Dr. Lourdes Tolod reiterated in her discussion that medical education is very important with a mentor’s vision which is to make sure that the mentee will be able to finish. Knowing that medicine is one of the most expensive programs, it will be a waste of investment if along the way a student drops out from one reason or another which include culture shock.
Mentoring workshop to MHAM mentors with Dr. Lourdes Tolod
In a separate interview with Dr. Tolod who is into teaching for more than forty years now, the mentoring program for medical students will help these mentees to become good medical doctors with a heart which will also benefit for their future patients to live longer and better life.
Interview with event-speaker Lourdes G. Tolod, PhD
“This is actually part of the first part of the MHAM Faculty Development Program which is being conceptualized for the faculty members to really upgrade themselves in the field of medical education, for their personal growth and professional development because they are clinicians and teachers as well. Although these doctors haven’t taken any unit in education but to augment and to improve their teaching skills not only the arts and the skills of teaching but also there are things that a teacher must possess such as competence, commitment and compassion, known as the 3Cs. Mentoring means to guide and to nurture the medical students so that someday they will become successful medical doctors with a heart”, Dr. Tolod said.
She also added that if these medical students that they are now mentoring and if they will also opt to be part of the faculty of a school of medicine then they will more or less hand down what they have learned.
Dr. Roy Entienza during the group reporting
Having been participated the whole day event, Dr. Arn Evange Mendoza shared her thoughts on the mentoring program which will serve as a guiding tool to help the MHAM students become successful in the medical field.
With Arn Evange Mendoza, MD
“We would like to thank all the faculty and to the College Dean who made this day possible for the mentoring program and it would be a big help to all the faculty to be able to reach out to students to become better doctors. We hope we can address their concerns and to be able to guide them on their journey”, said Dr. Mendoza who is currently teaching Biochemistry and General Pathology.
MHAM mavens of the field with the event guests
Thirty full time mentors have participated the said workshop and are now challenged to be more competent, committed and compassionate in their chosen field. (Ana Liza Abao)