FAQs

• Develop a fresh perspective on your career
• Extend your professional network
• Help to shape the future of your profession and community
• Connect with the next generation of graduates
• Support your student to identify and achieve their career goals and develop in confidence
• Reconnect or develop closer links with the University of Melbourne, ranked #1 in Australia

• February: Applications for the program open
• March: Matching Process
• Late March: Students and alumni will be notified about the outcome of their application and introduced to their partners online.
• April – November: Students are encouraged to organise meetings with their mentors. These can take place in person or online.

A mentor is someone who is:

• Willing and eager to listen
• Enthusiastic, yet honest
• Open to learning and self-reflection
• Happy to share experiences, both positive and negative
• Supports and listens rather than coaching or lecturing

To join the MDHS Mentoring program as a mentor you must:

1. Have graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences before 2020.
2. Have a minimum of two years of professional experience.
3. Not be currently employed by the University of Melbourne in any role that influences the academic outcomes of students.
4. Not be in any position or situation that may be deemed to cause a conflict of interest affecting the results of this program.

Each mentoring match will be different. How your mentoring relationship evolves depends on you and your mentor documenting clear goals and strategies for achieving them. However, you can expect to be involved in some of the following:

• Exposure to expertise and experience
• Goal-setting and decision making
• Career planning and professional development
• Discussion about the challenges of being a professional clinical practitioner
• Working through problems from a new perspective
• Introduction to the Australian professional environment
• Starting to establish a professional network within your chosen profession
• Assistance with practical advice that will help you find a job

• Mid-January to February: Applications open for students
• March: Matching Process
• Late March: Students and alumni will be notified about the outcome of their application and introduced to their partner online.
• April – November: The program is an 8-month commitment

Final-year students who graduate at the end of 2023, or mid-2024 who are enrolled in the following courses are eligible to apply:

• Bachelor of Oral Health
• Doctor of Dental Surgery
• Doctor of Medicine
• Doctor of Optometry
• Doctor of Physiotherapy
• Master of Advanced Nursing Practice (Nurse Practitioner)
• Master of Biostatistics
• Master of Clinical Audiology
• Master of Nursing Science
• Master of Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology)
• Master of Psychology (Clinical Psychology)
• Master of Applied Psychology
• Master of Public Health
• Master of Science (Epidemiology)
• Master of Social Work
• Master of Speech Pathology

To get the most out of this program, students need to be open-minded, proactive, and accountable for their own professional development. Students are responsible for the following:

• Leading the mentoring relationship. You are expected to initiate the first contact and organise all meetings and communication with your mentor.
• Being reliable - honour your appointments and commitments with your mentor.
• Communicating openly and freely.
• Defining and expressing what you wish to gain from the mentoring relationship.
• Providing feedback to your mentor.
• Sharing your thoughts and ideas about the profession, entering practice and your future aspirations.
• Actively seeking your mentor’s opinions.
• Commit to at least five meetings with your mentor between April and November 2023. The exact nature and frequency of these meetings can be determined between the student and mentor and may include a Skype call, informal meetings over coffee, attending a public lecture together, and much more. Meetings take place at a location and time most convenient for you and your mentor.
• Complete three feedback surveys (beginning, middle, end).
• Demonstrate professional and ethical conduct at all times.

Participation numbers may be limited to the number of mentors that are available. Applications will be assessed on a variety of criteria including student need, response to the application questions and suitability to the available mentors. Not all applications will be successful, and this will be at the discretion of the MDHS Mentoring Team.

We will match you with a mentor based upon commonality in your applications. Best efforts will be made to fulfil your preferences but not all preferences can be guaranteed.

No, we will match you with a mentor taking into consideration the preferences and interests you have provided on your application form. Best efforts will be made to fulfil your preferences but not all preferences can be guaranteed.

Mentor/student meetings must be scheduled at a suitable location and time for both parties. However, it is preferable that students work around the mentor’s schedule. Please note that mentors are not required to meet you on campus.

For further information, please contact the MDHS Mentoring Team at mdhs-mentoring@unimelb.edu.au