As in other fields, aspiring EMS leaders require role models and guidance. This is especially true in EMS, as we have a higher-than-average turnover rate, and an increasing number of our managers opt for work outside the EMS setting or leave to start careers in different fields. There are even some who say we're at a crisis point in regard to this "brain drain" of talented managers in EMS, and without current leaders mentoring the next generation, this crisis could become worse.

   At some point during your career, you may have considered becoming a mentor but dismissed the idea, thinking it wouldn't be worth the energy you'd put into it. It may be time to rethink your decision. Being a mentor is more important than ever--and you may get more out of it than you think.

What Is a Mentor?

   A mentor affects the professional life of a protégé by fostering insight, identifying needed knowledge and expanding growth opportunities. This assistance supplements the coaching an individual receives from his or her direct supervisor. The mentoring relationship traditionally consists of a more experienced person providing guidance and advice to an associate with less experience. The associate is looking to move up the career ladder, usually by learning from someone successful and respected.

   Mentors typically play four overlapping roles:

• Coach, showing how to carry out a task or activity;
• Facilitator, creating opportunities for learners to use newly acquired skills;
• Counselor, helping the mentee explore the consequences of potential decisions;
• Networker, referring the mentee to others when their own experience is insufficient.

Why Become a Mentor?

   Mentoring gives you the extraordinary opportunity to facilitate a protégé's personal and professional growth by sharing knowledge you've accumulated through years of experience. While the primary intent of your mentoring role is to challenge the protégé to think in new and different ways, the protégé is not the only one who gains from the arrangement. As a mentor, there are various ways you can benefit as well.