News

Speed Mentoring at the 7th Annual Clinical Mentoring Conference

Posted: April 19, 2018

by Kathleen Kieran, MD, MS, MME

The first Society for Women in Urology Speed Mentoring event was held on Saturday afternoon of the 7th Annual Clinical Mentoring Conference. Eighteen mentors and eighteen mentees gathered to make connections, get advice and network. Mentoring is a central goal of SWIU, and as the organization has grown in recent years, the breadth and depth of interests and experiences of SWIU members has become more apparent. The Speed Mentoring Session was implemented as a way to formalize the networking process; although informal settings can facilitate networking, meeting the “right” person can be challenging. Having many SWIU members together in one room at the same time allowed mentees access to mentors with an extensive variety of personal and professional experiences, all willing to listen and advise.

Mentors and mentees engaged in rapid-fire 5 minute conversations with one another, before moving on to meet another new person. Conversations ranged from “How can I be a successful surgeon scientist?” to “When should I have kids?” to “How do I pick a subspecialty?” Perhaps the most difficult part of the session was to bring each conversation, and especially the session, to a close with so many rich and productive discussions ongoing. Mentees reported high satisfaction with the session, with comments like, “I never thought someone so famous would be so helpful!” Mentors similarly enjoyed the energy, drive, and thoughtfulness of the mentees. Overall, many relationships were built and nurtured in a short time.

Look for Speed Mentoring to be an integral part of SWIU at future Clinical Mentoring Meetings!

If you are interested in being a mentor, please visit the Mentoring Program section of this website to learn more.