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Peer Mentor Program
The Peer Mentor Program is composed of second-year medical
students who have been nominated by colleagues and faculty to
act as advisers on various issues of being an osteopathic medical
student. The peer mentors have been trained in issues of confidentiality
and giving assistance to entering students regarding all facets
of medical school: learning strategies, healthy stress reduction,
issues of personal relationships, etc.
Peer mentors assist entering students with numerous issues
of adjustment to medical school and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Please visit the bulletin board in the connector wing (E-Wing)
of Fee Hall for the names and strengths of these individuals.
For further information, please contact Dr.
Guro.
Faculty Mentor Program
Why is this Program Needed?
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Many students need a better understanding of how osteopathic principles and philosophy are incorporated into their education and future practice.
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Unprofessional behavior can be curtailed by interactions with good clinical faculty role models.
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The increase in the number of students in the College
decreases the ability of faculty and staff to get to know students
personally and increases the risk of students going through the
program in anonymity.
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Adaptation to the requirements, responsibilities and stresses of medical school is difficult enough without anonymity.
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Many students believe that seeking help is a sign of weakness, aside from disclosure itself being embarrassing.
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Student’s not seeking help (e.g. academics, personal)
in a timely manner often leads to greater difficulties which
could have been prevented by timely assistance.
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Students need more places and professionals to turn to for advice, guidance and support.
Program Goals:
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Provide students clinical faculty role models (DO and MD) with insight into osteopathic principles and philosophy.
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Provide students with a reliable clinical faculty members with whom they can meet with regularly develop a substantive relationship and go to for reliable support and counseling throughout their years in the College up to graduation.
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Provide students with clinical faculty role models who exhibit exemplary professional behavior for them to emulate.
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Identify students who need special assistance in a timely fashion and help arrange that assistance for them.
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Provide students with clinical faculty members who will help them adapt to the requirements, responsibilities and stresses of medical school and future clinical practice.
Program Description:
The Faculty
Mentor Program provides students with clinical faculty role models
with whom they can develop substantive professional relationships. Students
from both the first and second year classes will be able to seek
advice and council on an as needed basis from a faculty mentor during
semesters 2-6 of the Preclerkship Program (see attached list). Students
are required to shadow a faculty mentors, at least
one time during semesters 2-6, in the clinical setting. Faculty
mentors should be available to interact with students on an as need
basis while student are in their Clerkship Program.
Program Objectives:
The faculty mentor is dedicated to providing advice on various issues of becoming a successful osteopathic student/physician. These issues include how to:
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Incorporate osteopathic principles and philosophy into their training and future clinical practice.
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Behave professionally including: competence, professional responsibility, respect for others (peers, faculty, staff, patients etc.), compassion, personal/professional honesty, social responsibility and confidentiality.
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Successfully negotiate (academically and personally) the preclerkship and clerkship curriculum.
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Deal with potential stresses of medical school and practice.
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Lead a balanced and healthy life style.
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Develop a portfolio during their osteopathic medical education and learn how it will be useful in the future.
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Be alert to inappropriate methods of persuasion (e.g. physicians
- drug companies; patients – clever advertising)
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Best prepare for postgraduate training opportunities.
Each faculty mentor and student(s) have freedom and flexibility on how to approach the issues stated above (e.g. observation, readings, presentations, etc.) as well as to pursue other interests that students may have or that they feel are important for students to know in becoming a good osteopathic physician.
Program Process:
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Start Date: Beginning of Semester 2 (Fall Semester).
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The Faculty Mentor Program is administered through the Office of Student Services by the Associate Dean/Student Services in consultation with clinical faculty members in the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
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Faculty mentors are clinical faculty in the College of Osteopathic
Medicine who volunteer for the program. Residents in
clinical programs in the Lansing area, who are graduates of the College,
may also serve as faculty mentors with approval of the appropriate
Clinical Department Chairperson and Program Director.
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At the beginning of Semester 2 (Fall Semester) faculty mentors
and first year students meet as a large group in an orientation session
to discuss the goals and expectations of the program. Students also are asked if they have particular interests that they would like to see addressed during the program. At
the end of session faculty mentors meet with students in their groups
for an introductory session.
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Faculty mentors meet each fall, at the beginning of semesters 2 and 5, to discuss among themselves ways to present the above issues to students, discuss student evaluations of the program and receive information/advice/availability of resources (Faculty Development) from personnel in the Offices of Student Services and Academic Programs.
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Each semester faculty mentors submit to the Office of Student
Services the names of the students they have met with and who have
shadowed them. Students who do not meet the shadowing requirement, will have a letter placed in their academic file and subsequent Dean’s
Letter, stating they did not meet this college requirement.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine maintains a list of medical
students who are willing to tutor other medical students. If
you would like assistance in one of your academic course or would
like to volunteer your services as a tutor, contact Dr.
Gillian Bice for more information.
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