What are the responsibilities of an Expert Mentor?
Expert Mentors are expected to:
- Provide support and development in one or more of the four key areas of the curriculum
- Undertake and record regular reviews with pharmacists using the expert mentor report template and review their progress in your nominated area(s) of expertise
- Identify if pharmacists are experiencing difficulties, liaising with relevant colleagues, including other expert mentor(s) and professional coach, to put in place a support programme to mitigate these.
Find out more about the responsibilities of expert mentors.
Can I be an Expert Mentor in more than one area?
Yes. You can choose to provide support in as many areas as you wish.
You should also agree with your mentee which areas you will support with at your first introductory meeting.
Can I be an Expert Mentor for more than one individual?
Yes, if you have the capacity to do so. There is no limit on the number of individuals you can mentor at a time.
Mentees will send you an invitation to be their Expert Mentor. Simply accept their invitation to start mentoring.
If you cannot support additional mentees, make yourself Unavailable on the platform. You will no longer appear as an available mentor and will not be searchable to new mentees.
How much time do I need to dedicate to my role as an Expert Mentor?
This will vary depending on the development needs of the individual.
As with any mentoring relationship, we advise that you agree on ways of working with your mentee at your first introductory meeting. This will help you determine your mentees preferred learning style and manage any expectations (from both sides).
It may be also helpful to complete a mentoring contract, set some ground rules, and review this regularly.
Use our template Setting and agreeing ground rules for mentoring.
What if I don’t want to be an Expert Mentor? Can I provide general mentoring for consultant pharmacists?
Yes, you can offer to support as a general mentor for consultant pharmacists as we know our mentees may require short term support or ad-hoc development support for everyday practice as they are gaining experience for the credentialing process.
If you want to offer general support, do not select expert areas when prompted to do so within the mentoring platform.
Can I opt out if my circumstances change?
We understand that work and personal circumstances may change from time to time.
If you have offered to support a pharmacist but can no longer support, please have a conversation with your mentee about your availability and agreed next steps for their development.
Mentees can seek new or additional mentor(s) using the mentoring platform at any time.
You will also need to update your profile to reflect your availability and preferred areas for mentoring, so this is accurately displayed for prospective mentees.
Approval of expert mentors
Our process for approving the expertise and experience of Expert Mentors assures mentees of your suitability to support in the relevant areas of the curriculum.
We use the information you provide within your profile, specifically your job description and achievements/qualifications.
If you are an RPS Faculty member, we approve you based on your Faculty levels in the four key areas.
Your approval status will be displayed as a blue tick within the platform. This will be visible to mentees when they search for Expert Mentors for consultant pharmacist credentialing
If my job role and/or qualification do not appear on your eligibility criteria, can I be an Expert Mentor?
If we are not able to ascertain your suitability to act as an Expert Mentor, we’ll email you to ask for further information to help us with the approval process.
How will I know when the approval process is complete?
You will receive an email to confirm your expert mentor status.
A blue tick will appear within your profile next to your selected expert areas. If you cannot see a blue tick, despite receiving confirmation of approval, please email [email protected].