Mentoring & Coaching
The ACPE aims to facilitate a mentoring and coaching program that provides a framework to develop the collective skills, knowledge and experience of physician executives.
Participation in a mentoring program is an important and valuable way for both established and developing physician executives to share knowledge, gain professional skills, develop a network and advance their careers. Experienced physician executives provide a particularly valuable resource for the development of emerging talent in the field.
Benefits of mentoring
For both the mentor, and the mentee, the benefits derived from constructive professional relationships serve not only to improve individual effectiveness, but also strengthens the community of knowledge and networks within the ACPE.
For mentors, the program provides a valuable leadership experience combined with the satisfaction of helping others to consolidate their careers. In addition, every mentor will be building the foundation for greater recognition of the role that physician executives play in the Australian healthcare environment.
For mentees, the opportunity to learn from those who have gone before you – their successes, their failures – is an invaluable source of “short-hand” experience and knowledge which helps you to make smarter decisions, fewer mistakes, and hopefully have more success.
Of course, the stronger our network, the more likely it becomes that you will have access to career progression opportunities. So, whether you are interested in recruitment, or being recruited; running your own business, or working within an existing enterprise, your network of mentor-mentee relationships within the ACPE is the best starting point.
Flexible delivery
ACPE mentoring and coaching programs are delivered to meet the requirements of participants. The program is entirely voluntarily and has no pre-set formats, time allocations or content. The aim is to determine the requirements of each individual mentee and match those needs with the appropriate mentor and delivery format. The mode of delivery should be agreed on a case-by-case basis, and can vary from formal scheduled meetings through impromptu coffee catch-ups. Typically it is a one-to-one relationship between a more experienced and less experienced professional, and is generally provided for at least one hour per month. As a voluntary program mentoring should be provided free of charge.
Physician executives can indicate whether they are willing and available for coaching and / or mentoring on their profile. They can also specify any particular focus areas, sectors or skills in which they coach or mentor. Any of the other members can approach that member to request coaching or mentoring. This is to be arranged between the individuals.
Mentoring is a means to transfer skills from an experienced physician executive to those seeking to develop their careers. The exact nature of the mentoring relationship is determined between the individuals and is strictly on a non-financial basis. The College does not govern mentoring arrangements, but acts as a conduit for mentors and mentees to meet.
Most physician executives have developed career paths that have been unsupported by either formal tertiary institutions or a dedicated professional body. To further the profession of physician executives, the mentoring program will assist individuals to develop the necessary skills to further their careers.
Physician executives bring a level of insight and perspective to the junction of business and health, which is hard to replicate through any other means. As the demands on healthcare rapidly increase, we as physicians have an obligation to actively, professionally, and diligently contribute to define, build and sustain next-generation healthcare commerce. Mentoring is a means of transferring skills and knowledge to emerging executives.
Mentorship is a function of knowledge and experience regarding the subject / area in which you mentor. From that perspective, any member of the ACPE could potentially make themselves available as a mentor in an area where they have the requisite background. Note that what would be considered adequate knowledge and experience to satisfy one mentor-mentee relationship, may not hold for another.
Any member of the ACPE is eligible to participate in the mentoring program.
This is arranged between the mentor and mentee, as per there convenience. The ACPE does not govern individual mentor-mentee arrangements.