Seek Mentorship
My biggest piece of advice to pre-physical therapy students is to seek mentorship. This includes creating and forming a relationship with someone who is already a physical therapist. It took me three years to even find a physical therapist who looked like me. To this day, I still have a relationship with her and consider her a great mentor for me. What is a mentor and what should you be looking for in a mentor? Often the biggest mistakes we make is going out to venture on our own. Regardless of whatever your passion is the truth is there is someone else who has gone through the process already, so why not learn from them and avoid their mistakes. The key to an effective mentorship relationship is that it works both ways. As a mentee you should be learning from your mentor and as a mentor you should be evolving alongside with your mentee. Mentorship isn't a one way relationship and should be seen as a partnership. You have someone who is going to be honest with you and guide you along your journey. You all should share your goals and hold each other accountable.
Qualities to look for in a mentor:
A desire to develop and help others. A good mentor is sincerely interested in helping someone else without any “official” reward. Good mentors do it because they genuinely want to see someone else succeed.
The ability and availability to commit real time and energy to the mentoring relationship. Good intentions aren’t enough—mentoring takes time!
Current and relevant industry or organizational knowledge, expertise, and/or skills. The best mentors have deep knowledge in an area that the mentee wishes to develop.
A willingness to share failures and personal experiences. Mentors need to share both their “how I did it right” and their “how I did it wrong” stories. Both experiences provide valuable opportunities for learning.
A growth mindset and learning attitude. The best teachers have always been and always will be those who remain curious learners themselves. Would you rather be advised by someone whose mind is shut because he knows it all or by someone whose mind is open because she is always looking to deepen her knowledge?
Skill in developing others. This includes the very real skills of: active listening, asking powerful, open-ended questions, self-reflection, providing feedback and being able to share stories that include personal anecdotes, case examples, and honest insight.
Mentees need to be:
Committed to expanding their capabilities and focused on achieving professional results.
Clear about their career goals, needs, and wants. Mentoring isn’t therapy where one just rambles aimlessly. mentees are responsible for creating the mentoring agenda, so they must be clear about what they hope to get from mentoring.
Willing to ask for help, show vulnerability, and explore different paths and perspectives. Mentees must be open and receptive to learning and trying new ideas. No mentor wants to advise someone who isn’t open to learning!
Able to seek and accept feedback—even the “constructive” kind—and act upon it.
Be personally responsible and accountable. Mentors want to see movement and growth. If you say you are going to do something, then do it! Sitting on the sidelines in a mentoring relationship is not going to work.
Ready, willing, and able to meet on a regular basis. Relationships take time to develop, so mentees must also be committed to upholding their end of the bargain.