Pastoral Mentor Scheme
The Bristol School of Anaesthesia runs a pastoral mentoring scheme for trainees 
throughout their rotation. Mentors for this scheme are volunteer consultants working in our school. A mentor will usually have a maximum of three trainees as mentees at any one time. All trainees are asked to choose a mentor on joining the School and can stay with this person throughout their training. A register is kept which is a list of names used to highlight trainees who have not yet chosen a mentor and who can then be reminded to do so.
Note that College Tutors are usually excluded from the list but are always available for advice and support.
Confidentiality
The essential feature is the confidentiality which exists on both sides of the relationship. This can be contrasted with appraisal and assessment. Although to some extent confidential, the appraisal process results in a written summary of plans agreed by the appraised and appraiser. Assessment is made against a standard and has a pass/fail element which must necessarily be recorded. Only the mentor relationship can be considered to be completely confidential and it is for this reason that we incorporate it into the School as a complementary support system for our trainees as they progress through training.
The extent to which an individual uses their mentor is a personal choice but all trainees are asked to choose a mentor at the start of their training programme. It is possible to change mentor at any time by arrangement with the School Support Manager, who will hold the register.
To see a list of the available mentors please email our general inbox, Severn Postgraduate School of Anaesthesia & ICM.
How It Works
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Trainee is appointed to a post within the School
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Trainee is asked to select two choices of whom they wish to have as a mentor
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Choices should be returned to our general inbox, Severn Postgraduate School of Anaesthesia & ICM.
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A mentor will be allocated according to availability
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An email will be sent to advise the mentor of the allocations
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Mentor will make direct contact with the mentee to discuss arrangements (no further School input)
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You can change your mentor by contacting our general inbox, Severn Postgraduate School of Anaesthesia & ICM.
Do mentors need formal training?
Many consultants have had formal training in mentoring, although this is not an essential requirement for mentors in our school. Severn PGME run several (free) study days on mentoring (as well as others on related topics).
AAGBI website
For more general information the AAGBI website has a large section on mentoring.