How to Participate

Program Logistics

Register to become a Mentor or a Mentee

Mentors can identify their current competencies, strengths and skills in their mentor application via the self assessment survey. Each mentor applicant is notified which competencies they are registered to mentor in.

Being a mentor with MentorLink, means you undertake to work with the MentorLink Principles and Terms. In return, you can gain mentoring training, mentoring tools and assistance from profession-trained program staff.

Mentors wishing to update their registered competencies may complete another self-assessment survey via the MentorLink website.

Mentors who adversely affect their clients by not working according to the MentorLink mentoring principles and this agreement, will have their registration with MentorLink reviewed. MentorLink accepts no liability for losses and/or damages incurred as a result of the mentors’ services or for inconvenience to the mentor if they are barred from the program.

Mentees can identify the competencies they would like to develop or improve and search for a mentor in this area under Find my mentor. By using this tool, you can select a mentor with the competencies, strengths and background you want.

Find and Meet Your Mentor

Once you have found a suitable mentor you can make contact with them to ensure you are a suitable match and also establish some of the basics of your partnership such as your first meeting date and time. Once you’ve made contact, you can meet your mentor via phone or email or whichever method you determine works for both of you.

Program Evaluation

We ask all participants to complete brief evaluations prior to starting their partnership and on completion of the partnership to enable them to review their goals and the rate the success of their partnership. These evaluations also assist program staff to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and implement changes if required. We also ask mentees to complete a Mentee Satisfaction Survey at the end of the mentoring partnership. The overall results of these Mentee Satisfaction Surveys are added to each mentor’s profile.

Program Policies

The MentorLink program is a developing program, responsive to the needs of practitioners. Therefore policy changes may occur from time to time. Contact mentorlinklounge@otausvic.com.au for the latest policy update.

  • The Program is to be known as MentorLink.
  • The Program is open to Occupational Therapists throughout Australia. Participation for current finalcial members of OT AUSTRALIA Victoria is offered as a free member benefit. OTs who are members of their State Association participate for a fee of $200. Non-members participate for a fee of $600.00. Mentors participate on an honorary basis and do not need to be members of their State Association.
  • As mentoring is regarded as a continuing professional development activity, no formal selection process will be applied to applicants at this stage, although depending on the program development, selection competencies may be introduced at a later stage.
  • Mentoring is NOT supervision. It cannot be used as a substitute for supervisory requirements within the COTRB program. OT AUSTRALIA Victoria can provide the names of private practice Occupational Therapists who will supervise for a fee.
  • OT AUSTRALIA Accredited Occupational Therapists can claim CPD points for participating in MentorLink, either as a mentor or mentee. Mentoring of entry level and post graduate students, and colleagues, is included in the ‘Mentoring and Supervision’ category of the AccOT Program. For full details, go to OT AUSTRALIA, select ‘AccOT and CPD’.
  • Applicants must agree to:
    • Be matched with a suitable partner either via the website or manually.
    • Receive mentoring education.
    • Be agreeable to accept partnership support from profession-trained program staff.
    • Contribute to evaluation during the program.
  • Mentee’s developmental needs and mentor’s skills will be the main criterion for matching in partnerships, and not their geographical proximity to one another. It would not be advisable for a mentee’s line manager (supervisor) to be their mentor in the program, in recognition of a potential conflict of interest.
  • The boundaries of the relationship will be negotiated by each mentor and mentee partnership using the “Partnership Agreement” format (provided as part of the mentee/mentor education), and formulation of a developmental plan to meet the mentee’s needs.
  • The MentorLink Program Officers are required to monitor partnerships regularly, by making contact during the Partnership.
  • If a problem within a Partnership is brought to their attention they will contact the relevant parties as soon as practicable after the problem is identified.
  • In the event of conflict developing between partners, the program officer will encourage and empower the partners to work towards informal resolution of the problem themselves in the first instance. If the problem is unable to be resolved informally, a more formal process of evaluation and exploration of the problem will be undertaken.
  • Mentors and Mentees need to be made aware that legal advice to MentorLink recommended that: Random feedback (written and spoken) be sought from participants, and Mentors are advised not to give advice in areas in which they do not feel confident, but acknowledge to Mentees when they are unable to assist them in a particular area and to consider referring the Mentee elsewhere.
  • MentorLink applicants who are eligible for the Program but could not be formally matched in the program will be provided with mentoring education and registered in a mentoring bank on the website.

Fees

The MentorLink program is offered free of charge to current financial members of OT AUSTRALIA Victoria. Occupational Therapists who are members of their State Association participate for a one-off fee of $200. Non-members pay a fee of $600.00 to participate. Mentors contribute on an honorary basis and do not need to be members of their State Association to participate.

Program Map

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