After successful pilot, AO Access is on track for full launch of mentorship program later this year

Improved communication skills, greater confidence, understanding of personal leadership ability, and enhanced ability to contribute to personal and professional development are all benefits of the new AO Access Mentorship Program, offered to the AO community; adding value to the AO’s legacy as a platform for advancing members’ careers and academic progress.

The AO Access Mentorship program takes a data-driven approach, supports unbiased mentorship, and hence significantly and positively impacts the AO while creating a learning and leadership culture.

The program promotes significant professional, personal and social development and increases engagement while positively influencing member satisfaction. It utilizes ethical decision-making processes to lead continuous improvement and change management projects through innovation.

The AO Access Journey begins with a series of online learning modules—beginning with an unconscious bias module. Upon completion of the required modules, participants choose whether they want to be a mentor or mentee and gain access to the AO Access Mentorship Program, which matches them with a mentor or mentee based on nonclinical competencies.

Post-pilot survey results

Results of a post-pilot survey of mentees and mentors predict a promising start for the AO Access Mentorship Program: nearly 87 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their AO Access mentoring relationship had helped them grow professionally. More than 46 percent said they use their mentors’ advice “almost every time” in their daily activities, and more than 33 percent said they frequently use their mentors’ advice in daily activities. Sixty percent of mentees said they had experienced a major change in their level of confidence toward their defined goals over the course of the AO Access Mentorship Program. Upon completion of the program, more than 86 percent of mentees said they were interested in becoming mentors.

Opening doors in the AO

AO Access Mentorship Task Force Lead Marinis Pirpiris says the program can be an important door opener for AO members.

“The mentorship program allows us to build a platform where our members can understand their opportunities for personal and professional development, open some of those doors toward the professional networks that exist within our organization, and support our members to become more effective leaders,” he explains. “It allows us to identify, grow, and nurture our future leaders…and break down some of those silos that can occasionally occur within larger organizations to create an open and inviting culture for our members to participate in.”

He points out that mentors can benefit from increased confidence and awareness and build skill sets related to communication and delivering feedback.