Teaching Certificate Program Participants’ Perceptions of Mentor-Mentee Relationships

To assess teaching certificate program (TCP) participants’ perceptions of mentor-mentee relationships. A 15-item survey instrument was administered to all 2014-2015 participants of the Indiana Pharmacy Teaching Certificate (IPTeC) program. One hundred percent of IPTeC program participants (83/83) responded to the survey. The majority of participants indicated that having a professional mentor was either very important (52%) or important (47%) to their professional development and preferred to choose their own professional mentor (53%). Mentor characteristics rated as highly important by mentees included having similar clinical practice interests (82%), having similar research interests (66%), and being available to meet face-to-face (90%). Age, race, and gender of the mentor were not rated by mentees as important. Teaching certificate program participants place high importance on having a professional mentor. Mentorship of pharmacists completing TCPs should be a priority for current pharmacy faculty members so adequate guidance is available to future pharmacy educators.