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Benefits of Mentorship



The effectiveness of mentoring is well documented. Mentoring may enhance student
engagement, promote learning opportunities, and encourage collaboration. There are both career
and life benefits associated with mentorship, and it is increasingly recognised as a bidirectional
process which benefits both mentors and mentees (Straus & Sackett 2014; Woolnough & Fielden
OLET1404 Homepage (https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/40816/pages/olet1404-student-
leadership-peer-mentoring)
Why Mentor? (https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/40816/pages/why-mentor)
Benefits of Mentorship (https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/40816/pages/benefits-of-
mentorship)
Discussion post activity
(https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/40816/discussion_topics/791919)
Mentoring theories (https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/40816/pages/mentoring-theories)
Features of an effective mentor (https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/40816/pages/what-
are-the-features-of-an-effective-mentor)
Features of an effective mentee (https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/40816/pages/what-
are-the-features-of-an-effective-mentee)
Selecting an appropriate mentor
(https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/40816/pages/selecting-an-appropriate-mentor)
Potential negative consequences
(https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/40816/pages/potential-negative-consequences-of-
mentorship)
Ethical considerations (https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/40816/pages/ethical-
considerations)
Activity: Ethics discussions (https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/40816/pages/marked-
activity-ethics-discussions)
Skills for effective mentorship (https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/40816/pages/skills-for-
effective-mentorship)
Activity: Peer observation feedback
(https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/40816/pages/activity-peer-observation-slash-feedback)
Where to from here? (https://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/40816/pages/where-to-from-here)
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2017). Through mentoring, the learning curve for new students, or those new to a workplace, can
be decreased through the formal and informal sharing of experiences. Mentors are able to
steward knowledge, impart skills, instil values, and orientate students to the cultural and social
aspects of their profession and the organisation.
Both parties have the opportunity to grow and develop throughout mentorship. Benefits for the
mentee may include increased self-efficacy (Feldman et al 2010), increased satisfaction with their
work (Feldman et al 2010; Dutta et al 2011), and increased productivity (Straus & Sackett 2014).
Although the mentee primarily benefits, there are also potential benefits for the mentor. They are
given the opportunity to share their experience and wisdom to nurture future leaders. By helping
others, they may become more aware of their own professional skills and practices, and may gain
insight into other fields or areas within their organisation. A summary of the potential benefits for
the mentees, mentors and organisations are outlined in Table 1.

Table 1: Potential benefits for mentorship stakeholders (Mentees, Mentors and Organisations).
Mentees Mentors Organisation
Increased opportunities to
network
Increased opportunities to
network Increased work performance
Feeling of empowerment Personal fulfilment (‘givingback’) Enhanced strategic planning
Enhanced productivity Assistance on projects Improved communication andorganisational culture
Increased protected time for
scholarly activities, e.g.
Publications
Development of leadership
and coaching skills
Professional development of
employees
Improved academic ‘self-
efficacy’ Increased recognition
Retention and distribution of
organisational knowledge
Greater networking
opportunities
Renewed interest in personal
career
Reduced staff turnover
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Career advancement Potential financial reward Accelerated training
Increased job satisfaction Career advancement Cost effectiveness

References
Dutta, R., Hawkes, S. L., Kuipers, E., Guest, D., Fear, N. T., & Iversen, A. C. (2011). One year
outcomes of a mentoring scheme for female academics: a pilot study at the Institute of Psychiatry,
King's College London. BMC Medical Education, 11(1), 13.
Feldman, M. D., Arean, P. A., Marshall, S. J., Lovett, M., & O'Sullivan, P. (2010). Does mentoring
matter: results from a survey of faculty mentees at a large health sciences university. Medical
Education Online, 15(1), 5063.
Straus, S. E., Sackett, D. L., & Sawkins, R. (2014). Mentorship in academic medicine (pp. 1-11).
Hoboken (NJ): John Wiley & Sons.
Woolnough, H. M., & Fielden, S. L. (2017). Mentoring in nursing and healthcare: Supporting
career and personal development. John Wiley & Sons.