What is this course?
This practical programme has been run successfully for many years for the Association of Anaesthetist by Coaching and Mentoring Consultants, an established provider of Mentoring Training in the NHS.
The hybrid programme retains the distinctive elements which have made the in-person programme such a powerful learning experience, with a combination of online and in person sessions.
About this course
The programme develops mentoring skills which can be used both in formal mentoring and also in a range of leadership and clinical situations with staff, colleagues and patients. It aims to develop participants’ abilities to enable others rather than to prescribe solutions. Developing these skills can be both challenging and rewarding for those whose professional culture is that of expert helping.
There is a mixture of taught inputs, demonstration by tutors, small group skills practice, group discussions, and pairs work.
The programme is experiential and a significant proportion of time is spent practising skills. Participants work with a facilitator, learning from being a mentor, a mentee, and an observer. Participants bring real issues to discuss when they are mentee: there is no ‘role playing.’
Reflective practice is expected between sessions. Practical and professional issues arising from mentoring are discussed and participants are encouraged to plan how they will take forward the skills back at work.
The tutor team is Julia Pokora and Dr June Smailes. Also contributing will be Dr Nancy Redfern, Dr Robert Self, Dr Tei Sheraton and Dr Fred Wilson. The Programme handbook, Coaching and Mentoring at Work (Connor and Pokora 2017) is co-authored by Julia, and is a best-selling text in its 3rd edition.
The programme will run for four sessions as below:
Session 1: Tuesday 4 February 2025 (Online via Zoom)
Session 2: Friday 7 February 2025 (Online via Zoom)
Session 3: Friday 7 March 2025 (Online via Zoom)
Session 4: Friday 28 March 2025 (In person at 21 Portland Place, London)
Online sessions are from 8.55am to 3:30pm and in person from 9.30am to 4pm.
If you are interested in attending this programme, please note:
• For group allocation purposes, your hospital and grade will be shared with the course organisers. If you do not wish for this to be shared, please emai [email protected]
• participants bring their own real, current, unresolved issues for practice sessions- guidance will be given about what are appropriate issues.
• whilst you will learn a lot about yourself and about mentoring on the programme, it is not the place to bring difficult life events. If you are feeling particularly fragile, you may wish to defer attendance until things are more settled.
• practice between sessions 2&3 and 3&4 is expected: guidance will be given.
• the programme does not provide a formal qualification: options for further study and accreditation will be discussed on Session 4
Intended audience
Those with an interest in developing their mentoring skills and awareness, for example consultant anaesthetists, trainee anaesthetists, SAS anaesthetists.
Learning objectives
Participants will:
• Understand what mentoring is and isn’t
• Develop a working knowledge of one framework for mentoring: Egan’s The Skilled Helper model (2010)
• Practise and develop their mentoring skills
• Consider how to use the model and skills appropriately at work