Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

April 23-29, 201224 United Kingdom EditionDCPs COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT MULTI-SYSTEM IMPLANTOLOGY CERTIFICATE COURSE AT TRAFFORD GENERAL HOSPITAL, MANCHESTER Recognised by University of Salford Applications are invited for a hospital based “certificate” year course (one day a month) starting on 7th November 2012. This unbiased multi system clinical course in its 20th year is designed to teach practitioners how to incorporate implant treatment to their practices safely with the back up of three most documented implant systems according to the FGDP/ GDC Training Guidelines. Astra, Nobel Biocare and ITI/Straumann, the market leaders in implantology for their unique indications, predictability, research and documentation, are taught step-by-step during the year course. Each participant will have the opportunity to place implants in their patients under supervision. The course has been granted approval by the FGDP (UK) for accreditation towards its Career Pathway’. COURSE CONTENTS AND BENEFIT • Keynote consultant/specialist speakers from UK and abroad • Certification for three major implant systems and GBR techniques • Prepare for Diploma examinations or further academic study (e.g. MScs) • Benefit from extensive network of accredited UK Mentors • Clinical practice support and advisory service • Implant team with highly proven 20 years’ clinical research and teaching experience • Become an ITI member (with complimentary 1st year’s subscription) (worth £200) • Receive complimentary editions of five ITI Treatment Guides (worth £350) FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Professor T.C. Ucer, BDS, MSc, PhD, Oral Surgeon, Oaklands Hospital, 19 Lancaster Road, Manchester M6 8AQ. Tel: 0161 237 1842 Fax: 0161 237 1844 Email: ucer@oral-implants.com www.oral-implants.com Y ou may have thought that mentoring was predomi- nately there to offer support, advice and guidance when things go wrong. Of course current thoughts are a far cry from this. As part of the BADN team, it has become increasingly evident that the more contemporary approach towards mentoring is key to our agents of change and supporting others in their learning journey. “Mentoring can be defined as a relationship between two people with learning and development as its’ purpose”¹ Brockbank 63 Historical dimension Mentoring is far from a new phe- nomenon, indirect links to men- toring have been associated with Plato and Socrates as far back as 347BC1. However, the word men- tor first appears in literature in the Homer narrative “The Odyssey” some 3,000 years ago. The nar- rative asserts that Odyssey left his son in the capable hands of his entrusted friend Mentor asking him to teach him everything he knew, whilst he went to the Tro- jan Wars². This however, provides a misconception that the mentor is older, wiser and by virtue more experienced. Evidence shows that over the last 30 years mentoring has grown in popularity, in Gov- ernment, industry, education, the medical profession and more re- cently the dental arena. With the rapidly changing landscape for dental care profes- sionals (DCP’s), there has never been a better time to explore this role and look at how it can be contextualised not only within a given career trajectory, but in a learning setting. DCP’s now have the opportunity to undertake addi- tional duties3 and make full use of professional development plans, when planning career pathways. This has come about as an indi- rect result of statutory registration and a greater public awareness of the sector. What is mentoring? Mentoring is a dyadic professional learning relationship which, ena- bles and facilitates individuals to take charge of their development and realise their potential.4 The mentoring relationship helps indi- vidualstoreviewthehereandnow, to explore short term goals, shap- ing and influencing their future. There are two approaches to mentoring, the Gestalt approach and the Humanistic approach, which are portrayed through ei- ther the traditional mode of men- toring or the contemporary mode of mentoring. The traditional mode of mentoring can often be a mode that has a power imbalance and is based on the mentors’ ex- perience, rather than the need of the individual. The contemporary mode of mentoring does not re- quire the mentor to be older, wis- er and more experienced, but can indeed be a fellow work colleague or friend; a peer mentor. This isbecausethecontemporarymode ofmentoringisacceptingofthehu- manistic approach, whereby the individual is placed at the centre of the mentoring relationship; this is known as the person-centred approach.5 This approach asserts that the individual is the resource- ful one, not the mentor, the men- tor merely enables and facilitates in the professional relationship. What attributes and traits do you need to become a mentor? Becoming a mentor requires you to have an ownership and understanding of certain as- pects of human behaviour and the reasoning behind it, in or- der to fulfil your role. The attrib- utes that a mentor should ideally have are coined within the three key concepts of mentoring as: Unconditional positive regard, Congruence and Empathetic understanding,5 if we unpick these concepts the attributes and traits that would be unveiled are: • Empathy • Good communicator • Good listener • Congruence • Good facilitator • Encourages creativity/flexibility • Trustworthy • Honest • Social/emotional intelligence Quite often these skills are a natural occurrence and merely need to be developed or enhanced and by working on these skills and embedding them within the rela- tionship, you are able to create the right environment for that agent of change, which is so often missing. What often happens over a period of time is that the dynamics of the relationship shift from the mentor working with the individual, to the individual taking the lead and the mentor playing a much lesser part as the individual grows. Being an effective mentor It is imperative that a mentor rec- ognises their own strengths and weaknesses and knows their limi- tations, not only of self, but from an ethical stance. The European Mentoring and Coaching Coun- cil have produced a document, which outlines the code of ethics forthoseinthementoringfield.6 In line with this, Pokora and Connor7 have outlined nine key principles that underpin the effective prac- tice of being a mentor at work: 1The learning relationship is at the heart of change 2The context is work 3The individual sets the agen- da and is resourceful 4The ...mentor facilitates learning and development 5The outcome is change 6The framework for...change ...provides movement and direc- tion 7The skills develop insight, re- lease potential and deliver results 8The qualities of the ...mentor affirm, enable and sustain the in- dividual 9Ethical Practice safeguards and enhances...mentoring Of course not all mentors work from an ethical stance and can be disabling or toxic either intention- ally or unintentionally. They have a tendency to be destructive and limiting to the individuals learn- ing and developmental processes. Toxic mentors are those who are often unavailable or inaccessible, undermine and criticise those whom they are helping and on occasion lead individuals into new situations and then withdraw their support. Models of mentoring There are many models of men- toring that can be applied to given situations, individuals and organi- sations and can be adapted to oth- er approaches: • Egan Skilled Helper Model8 • G.R.O.W Model2 • Cyclical Mentoring Model9 • Double Matrix Model1 This list is far from exhaus- tive and models can also be used interchangeably to suit the situa- tion, after all, the model is mere- ly a framework, an underlying structure and not something that is central to the mentoring rela- tionship. Indeed Egan 2010 re- minds us that we should beware of the man of one book.8 This con- cept is evident in the mentoring course that has been developed at FGDP (UK), which is primarily as- sociated with the person-centred approach, and champions both the Skilled Helper Model8 and the G.R.O.W Model2, which have been integrated and further devel- oped to form the Y.U.G.R.O.W. D3 Model10. Through personal expe- Fiona Ellwood explores the role of the mentor Mentoring in learning