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Jonathan Gonzales
Mentoring Summary
August 6, 2015
Medical Dosimetry The Importance of a Mentor
A mentor is a person who guides the less experienced by modeling positive behaviors and
building trust. The difference between a teacher and a mentor is that a teacher has a rigid
syllabus and specific chosen criteria for their students, while a mentors classroom is real life (J
Wilkinson, CMD, oral communication, July 2015) Using the example of Medical Dosimetry, a
teacher might teach someone how to generate acceptable treatment plans, while a mentor would
also serve as an example on how best to communicate and work with others in the department,
how to best manage the work load, and how to avoid frustrations, as well as being a resource
regarding other aspects of work life like benefits, pay raises, etc. (P Archer, CMD, oral
communication, August 2015). A mentor acts in the best interest for their mentee, and by that, an
effective mentor teaches and leads by example.
For better or worse, mentors encountered early in the career occupy a potent position in
one's development as a practitioner. By influencing the next generation of practitioners, mentors
can also shape the future of the profession. [1] As a dosimetry student, it is important to have an
effective mentor in ones clinical experience. An effective mentor is an individual that serves as
an advisor or guide for the novice moving from dependence to independence to proficiency. [1]
An effective mentor also facilitates realization for a novices aspirations by bestowing
responsibility, trust, and opportunities to achieve. [1] A mentor accepts a big responsibility when
it comes to taking on a mentee under their wings. For a mentor to effectively teach a student, the
mentor must have the ability to remember a time when they themselves didnt have knowledge
and experience (J Wilkinson, CMD, oral communication, July 2015). A mentor that has the
ability to understand what their students are experiencing can aid in effective teachings.
A mentors teaching methods are also influenced by their previous mentor. I feel that an
effective mentee is able to take away a little bit from all their mentors and formulate a thought
process that makes sense to them. At my clinical site, I work with eleven staffed medical
dosimetrists on a daily basis and each dosimetrist has their own teaching method-specialty, all of
which contribute to my overall learning. I feel that it is put upon me to be an effective mentee

and take away all the important experiences and translate it into something I can use for my
future career.
In medical dosimetry, a mentor is crucial to the success of the student and also to the
future career of that student. When I finish school and move onto my career as a dosimetrist, I
hope to emulate my mentors and become an effective mentor myself. When I am given that
opportunity to mentor, my strongest recommendation for becoming effective is to first become
an effective person and an effective employee, one who works hard to develop appropriate work
skills, who constantly strives to improve, and who can achieve an effective work/life balance of
time and energy. (P Archer, CMD, oral communication, August 2015) If and when I achieve this,
becoming an effective mentor will just be second nature.

References
1. Lenards, N. Mentoring. [SoftChalk]. LaCrosse, WI: UW-L Medical Dosimetry Program; 2015.

Appendix A

Jonathan Gonzales
Mentoring Interview with Joel Wilkinson, CMD (Transcript)
July 28, 2015
Q: In your own words, what is a mentor?
A: A teacher. An example. A master.
Q: What is the difference between a mentor and a teacher?
A: A mentor is a teacher, but a teacher isnt a mentor. A teacher has a rigid syllabus and specific,
chosen curricula. A mentors classroom is real life. The learning happens during the doing
instead of before the doing.
Q: What are the qualities/skills of a good mentor?
A: Patience. Thoroughness. The ability to remember a time when they themselves didnt have
knowledge and experience.
Q: How does an effective mentor differ from an ineffective mentor?
A: Effective mentors allow mistakes to be made (biggest learning opportunities). They allow the
novice extra time (for critical thinking development). They guide and advise, but dont do it
right away. They dont take over. They dont discourage.
Q: What recommendations can you make to help someone become a more effective mentor?
A: Encourage. Empower. Be invisible.
Q: Do you think everyone should have a mentor in their lives? Why?
A: Yes. If you have no visible destination of who you want to be, even the best maps in the
world will not get you there. Without a mentor, you are re-inventing the wheel while you
could be miles down the road by now.

Appendix B

Jonathan Gonzales
Mentoring Interview with Paul Archer, CMD (Transcript)
August 3, 2015
Q: In your own words, what is a mentor?
A: A mentor is someone who Teaches, guides, supports, and encourages. A mentor provides a
positive example for someone to emulate and follow.
Q: What is the difference between a mentor and a teacher?
A: I think mentoring involves teaching, but includes much more. Using the example of Medical
Dosimetry, a teacher might teach someone how to generate acceptable treatment plans. A mentor
would also serve as an example on how best to communicate and work with others in the
department, how to best manage the work load, and how to avoid frustrations, as well as being a
resource regarding other aspects of work life like benefits, pay raises, etc. Finally, I think its
impossible to teach a good work ethic and a good attitude, but easy to be an example of those
things.
Q: What traits make for the best mentors?
A: I believe that the characteristics that make a good mentor are competence, teaching ability,
patience, reliability, and a positive attitude.
Q: How does an effective mentor differ from an ineffective mentor?
A: Obviously, the ideal, most effective mentor would have high ratings in all areas mentioned
above. But, as each of us is a different combination of these characteristics, each of us has a
different level of effectiveness in mentoring a colleague. Given two equally-competent people
with equivalent work and life skills, the more effective mentor would be the one who
demonstrates the greater capacity to care about another individuals success in the workplace.
Q: What recommendations can you make to help someone become a more effective mentor?
A: Considering my answer to the above question, I would have to begin by saying that I think it
is impossible to force someone to care about another persons success or future. My strongest
recommendation for becoming an effective mentor is to first become an effective person and an
effective employee, one who works hard to develop appropriate work skills, who constantly
strives to improve, and who can achieve an effective work/life balance of time and energy.
Q: Do you think everyone should have a mentor in their lives?

A: I do, but not necessarily for the same duration depending on the maturity level of the
mentee. I believe that it is possible for a young person to come out of school with all the
education necessary to work in a medical profession and to even have work experience in other
professions which might help make them a good employee, but without some guidance on how
to work with demanding physicians and critically ill patients in an environment where life-anddeath decisions are made under pressure, I think many people will struggle to survive.