About The Program

MentorLink is a facilitated mentoring program open to occupational therapists working in both the public and private sectors throughout Australia.

History of the Project

The Need

In 1999 the Department of Human Services Victoria’s Rural Health Unit in its Healthy Horizons goals recognised the need to maintain a skilled and responsive health workforce particularly in rural areas. In 2002 the “Report of Consultation and Review of Allied Health Services in the Loddon Mallee Region” showed an extremely high attrition rate of allied health with 48.1% having held positions for one year or less.

While there are heightened needs in rural areas, there are also well documented allied health recruitment and retention difficulties in metropolitan areas, particularly in outlying areas where there is considerable demands on health services given the urban sprawl. Additionally many of the health professions tend to work in sole or small practices, both public and private, leading to professional isolation and lack of professional support and supervision, even in metropolitan localities. The mentoring program, therefore, while having a primary focus on rural allied health, is offered to all occupational therapists in Victoria, including those requiring support to enter or re-enter the workforce.

The role of professional Associations in the area of mentoring has been emphasised in the CURHEV (Co-ordinating Unit for Rural Health & Education in Victoria) report Sustainable Models of Rural Allied Health. It includes as characteristic of sustainable practice, the professional association’s mandate to provide support, mentoring and professional supervision. It adds that younger staff should have access to a mentor to support their professional development. Recognising the professional associations’ financial and resource limitations, the report recommends that funding occur for the development of rural mentoring and peer support initiatives across all allied health professions.

The Role of Mentoring

Mentoring can be seen as a professional development (education) activity that can support and assist practitioners who are working in rural and isolated locations, and where little or no professional support is available, to improve their skills and develop their professional abilities. The Mentor develops a relationship with the new graduate or less experienced practitioner (the Mentee), to facilitate their growth and professional development. The Mentor undertakes to make themselves available to the less experienced practitioner to:

  • Form a nurturing helpful and supportive developmental relationship
  • Fulfill the mentoring functions (teaching, sponsoring, encouraging, connecting and befriending)
  • Be regarded as a role model
  • Demonstrate how the profession works and to facilitate socialisation. (Morse, unpublished).

There are demonstrable benefits for both participants in this process. The Mentee is introduced to resources, people and processes that facilitate their career development. As such mentoring has been affiliated with academic success, and in the long term, increased job satisfaction, higher earnings, promotion and career advancement. (Morse, unpublished).

Mentors on this Program gain valuable training and development skills, as well as increased confidence in their own professional expertise. Mentees may also serve to keep their Mentors at the forefront of knowledge, technology, and technique again adding to the professional skill and knowledge base of practitioners in the Victorian workforce. (Morse, unpublished)

MentorLink Program

A pilot mentoring program MentorLink was developed by OT AUSTRALIA Victoria and trialled successfully during 1999, 2000 & 2001 with funding from the RHSET Program (Rural Health Support in Education and Training). The Allied Health Professions Alliance then used this pilot project as a base from which to develop a submission to the Department of Human Services for the funding of a mentoring program for a range of allied health professions.

The proposal outlined how a mentoring program for rural, recent graduate and isolated allied health professionals in Victoria would lead to both an improvement in the health status of rural Victorians and a greater sustainability of rural allied health practice. It was proposed that the MentorLink-Allied Health Program would provide an effective infrastructure that would enhance professional education, training and support of Allied Health practitioners working in rural and remote Victoria and benefit those metropolitan practitioners working in challenging and isolated practice.

The DHS supported this proposal with funding for the project to begin in July 2002 and continued to support the project until the end of 2005. OT AUSTRALIA Victoria continued to provide the MentorLink program for Occupational Therapists in Victoria as a free service to members and since 2008 has made the program available to Occupational Therapists throughout Australia.

Program Objectives

  • To meet the professional support and nurturing needs of practitioners as a means to enhancing sustainable and quality practice.
  • To give priority to practitioners who work in rural settings, new graduates and those working in public health facilities.
  • To customise self-matching software and utilise software functions for competency assessments, support and the development of e-communities.
  • To market the program widely in accordance with the priorities listed above.
  • To enlist the participation of participation (mentees and mentors).
  • To provide ongoing support, problem solving and conflict resolution to partnerships.
  • To evaluate the program on an annual basis to assist in the quality improvement of the program for subsequent years.

Trade Marks Statement

Trade Marks contained in this site are the property of OT AUSTRALIA Victoria except where explicitly stated to the contrary, and are intended to identify the information provided. The Trade Marks may not be reproduced, reused, adapted or redistributed without prior written permission from OT AUSTRALIA Victoria. Requests and enquiries regarding use should be directed to:

Executive Director
OT AUSTRALIA Victoria
Suite 4/430 Rae Street
North Fitzroy Vic. 3068.

Liability Disclaimer for Mentor Services

The material on this site is made available on the understanding that users exercise their own skill and care with respect to its use. Before relying on the material concerning mentor services, users should carefully evaluate the accuracy, completeness and relevance of the information, and should obtain appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances.

OT AUSTRALIA Victoria, its office bearers, members of the Board of Management, members, staff or mentors, to the extent permitted by law, are not liable for any loss, damage, costs, liability or other form of contribution to any persons following their taking up of the mentor services offered by OT AUSTRALIA Victoria.

Fees

The MentorLink program is offered free of charge to current financial members of OT AUSTRALIA Victoria. Occupational Therapists who are members of their own State Association pay a one-off fee of $200 and non-members participate for a fee of $600.00. Mentors participate in an honorary capacity, so do not pay a fee. Mentors do not have to be members of their State Association to participate.

Intellectual Property

The MentorLink website hppt://www.mentorlinklounge.com contains material which is subject to copyright and other intellectual property rights owned by or licensed to OT AUSTRALIA Victoria. Use of the material is subject to prior written agreement.

References

Morse, M. (unpublished) An exploration of strategies to assist vocational transition for graduate podiatrists (Master thesis). Victoria University, Footscray. morsem@mildurabase.ramsayhealth.com.au