rehabinkmag Commentary, Issue 16

A Reflection on our Experiences as Early Career Researchers in Providing Methodological Consultations and Mentorship to Student Clinicians

Commentary

By Pam Hung, Pegah Firouzeh, Rachel Yang, Dustin Gelowitz, & Chelsea McConnell

Background

Peer mentorship is a reciprocal, non-hierarchical relationship where mentors and mentees share ideas, knowledge, and experiences with their peers to promote personal and professional development (1). Mentees can benefit from mutual support and discussing shared experiences in a safe space with senior students and peers, supporting competency development and well-being (1, 2). Mentors can further develop leadership, collaboration, and critical thinking competencies for teaching, thereby increasing their self-awareness and confidence in their skills and knowledge (1,3).

Peer mentorship is commonly used in clinician training programs to promote self-directed learning, relationship building, and the development of leadership and collaboration skills, which are transferable to career roles (1,3). In clinical occupational therapy and physical therapy programs in the field of Rehabilitation Science, faculty-led peer mentorship programs are primarily designed to support students’ development of professional and clinical skills. These programs provide opportunities for mutual support (2, 4) which may reduce students’ anxiety and stress levels and contribute to increased confidence and self-esteem (5). Due to the dynamic nature of mentorship relationships, mitigating challenges that arise are specific to the mentors and mentees and often learned through practical experiences. As early career researchers (PhD trainees), we (PH and PF) mentored three groups of occupational therapy students on short-term clinical research projects. This reflection will discuss our experiences, provide examples of how we addressed challenges, and identify some benefits of peer mentorship.

Our Peer Mentorship Experience

Senior PhD Candidates in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta are hired as Research Associates in the faculty-based research center to provide methodological consultation to graduate students in Rehabilitation Science preparing for major milestones in their programs and to community members conducting research. Students in the clinical occupational therapy program complete a short-term research project in their final year under the supervision of a faculty member or clinical instructor. Although clinical students learn about different research approaches in coursework, they may need additional knowledge about research methods specific to their projects beyond the program curriculum and the scope of their supervisors’ expertise, whose primary role may be clinically focused. Students may also need support to apply research knowledge and skills to complete their projects. Therefore, the project supervisors requested an introductory workshop about conducting qualitative and quantitative research, related to focus groups, and analyzing survey data for 3 groups of occupational therapy students completing their projects. Over three months, we provided a workshop, mentored students on relevant data analysis methods specific to each project, reviewed their analysis and interpretation of the findings, providing feedback as appropriate. We also collaborated with one group to develop a poster presentation to disseminate the findings at a national conference.

Feedback, and validation of their research process…helped clinical students feel confident.

Key Learnings as Mentors

Open communication, providing flexibility in the mentorship structure to meet diverse needs, demonstrating commitment to mentor-mentee relationships, and having a clear understanding of roles and expectations are some aspects of peer mentorship that promote positive experiences (1). However, unclear expectations of mentee-mentor roles, lack of structure and process in the mentorship relationship, limited time and resources, and power imbalances between mentors and mentees may create barriers to effective mentoring (1,6). We describe how we facilitated the mentorship process in the context of our experiences, and provide strategies that can be used by others in mentorship roles.

1. Clarify roles and expectations for the mentor(s) and the mentees

Given that research projects within a clinical program are time-limited and on a smaller scale than thesis-based research, we met with the project supervisors in advance to understand the role of research in the clinical program, and the scope and limitations of the projects before meeting with the students. This allowed us to understand the purpose, timelines, and expectations related to the extent of our involvement in data analysis.

Our roles and responsibilities as consultants and mentors were discussed when we met with the student mentees. We worked collaboratively with each group to determine what they needed and adjusted our approach to meet their needs. This included learning about their previous research experiences, initial plans for developing their projects, and their perspectives on how we could best support them in completing their projects.

2. Provide opportunities for students to lead the project, apply knowledge, and make research decisions.

During the workshop, we provided resources and discussed research approaches that were best suited to address mentees’ research questions (e.g., data analysis approaches and using deductive or inductive reasoning), which promoted student learning, critical thinking, and independent research decision-making. We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each approach and challenged the students to think critically about why particular approaches to data analysis could be appropriate for their projects.

At times, it was challenging to maintain our roles as mentors and consultants to balance how much support we provided while giving autonomy to the students to apply their learnings. For example, we provided samples of poster presentations, and provided feedback on initial drafts from the students, but left the final decision-making to the students, which supported their autonomy in disseminating the findings.

3. Set boundaries on time and the type of support required

We communicated with the students primarily through email, which prevented unnecessary meetings and accommodated varying schedules. We offered in-person meetings for questions needing further clarification. We agreed that mentees would prepare questions before our meetings, which helped to guide discussions and use time efficiently. This also promoted independent problem-solving and collaboration within the student groups.

4. Request and respond to students’ feedback

As mentors, we checked in with the students about what was going well and what we could do differently, recognizing that their needs may change as they progress through each stage of their projects. We were receptive to their perspectives about what information they needed and how to work with them by modifying our approach and providing additional materials to promote student-centered learning.

Benefits of peer mentorship for mentors and mentees

We also recognized several benefits from this experience that could encourage graduate students to pursue mentorship experiences, as described below.

1.  Sharing knowledge, skills, and experiences about conducting research increases mentorship confidence at this early stage of our research career.

In academic and non-academic settings, mentorship roles are expected from PhD students, particularly in the later years of their program. The mentees were at various stages in their projects, including analysis, writing, and translating knowledge, which allowed us to apply our methodological and academic writing expertise to the mentorship relationship. This experience validated our knowledge of research methods and allowed us to further develop teaching and mentorship skills that will serve us well in our research careers.

2. Gaining exposure to diverse research projects relevant to clinical practice.

Providing mentorship to several student groups exposed us to different research topics relevant to the clinical context. We learned about the challenges and opportunities that occur in short-term clinically focused research projects, such as navigating analysis with a low survey response rate and determining how to disseminate relevant and engaging findings for clinicians. Encouraging students to critically consider how their findings were relevant to clinical practice helped us to focus on bridging the gap between research and clinical practice.

3. Collaborating with clinical instructors and students broadened our mentorship skills.

Connecting with the clinical programs as research consultants and mentors provided an opportunity for us, as thesis-based students, to work directly with future clinicians, which is rare in clinical and thesis-based programs. While the students received instruction through a research methods course and guidance from their supervisors, we identified the gaps in mentees’ research skills and provided advice specific to their project. As mentors, we identified resources and provided feedback that applied to the project and students’ needs, a skill that early researchers need to develop to be able to supervise students in future academic roles.

4. Promoting the importance of research in the clinical context and building confidence and motivation for clinical students to conduct research.

The primary focus of the clinical programs is on developing clinical skills, including understanding research to promote evidence-based practice. This mentorship opportunity allowed us to share our knowledge about conducting research and to promote the role of research in practice. We also shared challenges we have experienced in research, validating any uncertainties the students faced during the analysis and interpretation of findings. Through our guidance, feedback, and validation of their research process, we also helped clinical students feel confident about conducting primary research (e.g., analyzing qualitative and survey data), which may be part of their future clinical roles.

Conclusion    

Early recognition of challenges and opportunities may help early career researchers identify ways to facilitate positive and reciprocal mentor-mentee relationships. The key learnings and benefits from our mentorship experience with students in a clinical occupational therapy program align with those described in health sciences education literature related to peer mentorship (1). Rehabilitation Medicine is a broad, interdisciplinary field with diverse research projects. Therefore, having a group of mentors with diverse backgrounds that intersect with rehabilitation medicine is invaluable to support students in practical ways. Mentors with different research skills and worldviews can provide opportunities for mentees to gain knowledge and skills to explore their findings and interpret them in the clinical context. Mentorship programs that foster connections between students in thesis-based and clinical programs can help promote professional development, while bridging the gap where diverse knowledge and skills are needed for students to complete research studies that answer clinical questions.   

Acknowledgements

Featured illustration by Catherine George for rehabINK.

To refer to this article, it can be cited as:

Hung P, Firouzeh P, Yang R, Gelowitz D, McConnell C. A reflection on our experience as early career researchers in providing methodological consultations and mentorship to student clinicians. rehabINK. 2024:Issue16. Available from: https://rehabinkmag.com

References

  1. Andersen T and Watkins K. The Value of Peer Mentorship as an Educational Strategy in Nursing. Journal of Nursing Education. 2018; 57: 217-224. DOI: 10.3928/01484834-20180322-05.
  2. Gafni Lachter LR and Ruland JP. Enhancing leadership and relationships by implementing a peer mentoring program. Aust Occup Ther J 2018; 65: 276-284. 20180330. DOI: 10.1111/1440-1630.12471.
  3. Lorenzetti DL, Shipton L, Nowell L, et al. A systematic review of graduate student peer mentorship in academia. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning. 2019; 27: 549-576. DOI: 10.1080/13611267.2019.1686694.
  4. Milner T and Bossers A. Evaluation of the mentor–mentee relationship in an occupational therapy mentorship programme. Occupational Therapy International 2005; 11: 96-111. DOI: DOI: 10.1002/oti.200
  5. Kowtko C, Watts LK. Mentoring in health sciences education: A review of the literature. Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences. 2008 Jun 1;39(2):69-74.
  6. Oddone Paolucci E, Jacobsen M, Nowell L, et al. An exploration of graduate student peer mentorship, social connectedness and well-being across four disciplines of study. Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education. 2021; 12: 73-88. DOI: 10.1108/sgpe-07-2020-0041.