Mentorship Matters December 2023: Development of a Mentor-Mentee Relationship – A PA’s Perspective

By Jessica Danquah, HBSc, CCPA

November 14, 2013 was the first day stepping into my new career as a Physician Assistant (PA) in the Urgent Care at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. To say I was nervous would be an understatement, and my concern came with good reason. I was the first PA hired to Medical Oncology and one of only four PAs working across University Health Network (UHN). The profession was still quite new to the Canadian healthcare system. 

“What exactly is a PA? How do they function? How will they benefit healthcare?” It was day one and I was already facing a myriad of questions from my new colleagues. My worries were put at ease upon my first encounter with my supervising physician. He assured me that I was a welcome addition to the team. He was supportive, setting time aside to sit with me, discuss what drew me to the PA profession and explored my future goals and interests. I mentioned my desire to one day teach and work in healthcare leadership. There was no judgement or critique, no disinterest or dismissal. He actively listened, asked questions, offered me direction and guidance. It was in that first meeting that the invisible weight I had been carrying slowly began to lift off my shoulders and continued to reduce with the passing of time on this mentorship journey.

A decade later, as I reflect back on that first day and the years to follow, I am reminded of the fundamental role this early mentorship relationship and others along the way have played in helping me to achieve several career milestones. I transitioned from strictly clinical care to education and leadership initiatives, functioning as the UHN PA Co-lead and Education lead. I became faculty at the University of Toronto and have the opportunity to tutor medical students, train residents, facilitate PA teaching and engage in mentorship. Based on my own experience, there are five key building blocks that I consider fundamental to a healthy mentorship - trust, communication, support, advocacy and respect. The joy a mentor derives from seeing their mentee flourish and the gratitude the mentee has for that mentorship are at the heart of success.  

To quote John C. Crosby, “mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.”

Editorial note: The mentor in this beautiful narrative had initially preferred to remain anonymous and edited out his name. They expressed: “ I did not think it's about blowing anyone’s trumpet… it's more about the story of a woman from a marginalized context, soft land, thrive, flourish and succeed in academic medicine. I edited out my name and that is why I am not attaching my pic.

These were my thoughts. "Should I or should not I? I am not very sure… leave it to your discretion.”

While I understood his sentiment (and I’m sure many of us have as well!), in medicine, I do feel like we don't celebrate our success and contributions enough. The purpose of our portfolio is to cultivate that sense of culture and mentorship, and to celebrate and recognize the wonderful "invisible" contributions we all make to other's lives. So I thought (and our mentor agreed) that this starts here. Hence, this editorial note “reveals” the mentor as Santhosh Thyagu – thank you Santhosh and all our faculty members for being amazing mentors and the positive impact that you have on others’ lives!

Catherine