Formalizing a mentorship program
The mentorship program at Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates matches new physicians with a partner-level mentor with whom they are encouraged to meet monthly. We’ve even provided a budget so that mentees and mentors can meet for dinner or coffee and get to know each other better.
The program starts with a meeting of volunteer partners and associates, who then rank their preferred choices for potential mentors. This helps to ensure that the associates are able get to know the mentors a little bit and decide who might be the best fit for their needs. This is also important for new associates who don’t feel comfortable proactively searching for a mentor as they’re able to provide a list of partners they think would be the best match for them.
Each associate is then assigned a partner-level mentor who is responsible for guiding them and providing education around not only clinical care, but also business, marketing, health policy, and all the other critical components of running a successful private practice. Our program specifically pairs mentors and mentees who do not work in the same location. We wanted the mentors to be paired with associates they are not interacting with daily, to ensure our associates get exposed to different perspectives.
As a group, program participants get together every quarter – twice a year in person, and twice virtually. One of the in-person meetings brings together the mentors and mentees with C-suite executives to meet and network with the practice leadership. We organized the program this way because otherwise, most associates wouldn’t get many opportunities to interact with the CEO, chief medical officer, or chief operating officer in any capacity, let alone in a small gathering where they can engage on a personal level.
The second in-person meeting is a dinner with the mentors and mentees, along with their significant others. We understand that all our physicians have responsibilities outside of work, and bringing families together helps provide new associates with a network of support for questions that aren’t work-related. For associates who are not from Atlanta, this can be especially helpful in figuring out housing, schools, and other aspects of work/life balance.
The other two virtual meetings include the C-suite executives and our physician executive board. We develop specific agenda topics related to a career in private practice and provide a forum for the associates to ask practice leadership questions about challenges they may face on their path to becoming a partner.
At the end of each year, we survey the current program participants to see what was successful and what can be improved for the next cohort of incoming associates. So far, the feedback we’ve received from the mentors and mentees has been overwhelmingly positive.
Mentorship benefits the entire practice
As groups continue to grow, more practices may begin to formalize their mentorship programs, particularly those who see the merit they provide in helping recruit and retain valuable associates. To supplement our internal mentorship program, we’ve also started reaching out to local fellowship programs to provide resources to fellows who are considering private practice.
Even though about half of gastroenterology fellows choose independent GI, many aren’t educated about what it means to choose a career in private practice. Our outreach to provide information at the fellowship level is aimed at giving early career physicians an opportunity to know the benefits and challenges associated with private practice. Furthermore, we strive to educate fellows about the resources that are available to guide them through not only joining a group, but also having a successful career.
Leaders of independent GI groups need physicians who want the practice to succeed. Medical school trains physicians to take care of patients but falls short on training physicians to run a business. And building good, strong businesses makes sure that the next generation of leaders are prepared to take over.
Supporting the next generation of practice leaders helps current leadership make changes that will ensure practice sustainability. Often, associates are at the forefront of new technologies, both in terms of patient care, and in terms of practice management, communications, marketing, and advertising. As times change, having associates who are engaged and excited will help any practice be positioned positively for whatever the future holds.
What to look for in joining a practice
Ideally, people should start looking for mentors when they’re looking for a residency program. Joining a practice isn’t much different. If you’re an early career physician who is considering private practice, find an independent GI physician who can tell you about their experiences. And when you’re interviewing with practices, be sure to ask questions about how the group approaches mentorship. If a practice doesn’t have a formal mentorship program, it doesn’t mean it’s an environment where mentorship relationships won’t flourish. In many practices, informal mentorship programs are very successful.
Ask questions about how the practice provides or supports mentorship. Does the practice leadership make themselves available as mentors? Does the practice expect new physicians to find and nurture mentorship relations on their own? Ask about the path to becoming a partner and who is available to discuss challenges, concerns, or any questions that arise.
Independent GI practices are partnerships that seek to provide high-quality care at a lower cost to our community. Strengthening and sustaining that partnership requires us to take the time and continuously invest in the future of new physicians who will go on to serve our community as partner physicians retire. By formalizing a mentorship program, we’re hoping to make it easier for our mentors and mentees to create productive partnerships that will strengthen our group, and ultimately independent gastroenterology overall.
Dr. Sonenshine is a practicing gastroenterologist at Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates, and a partner in United Digestive. He previously served as the chair of communications as a member of the Executive Committee of the Digestive Health Physicians Association. Dr. Sonenshine has no conflicts to declare.
