Development of the Role and Scope of an Academic Mentorship Network for Health Professionals Working with People with Rheumatological and Musculoskeletal Conditions across Europe

The workshop provided an open forum to debate and discuss the aspirations for a mentorship scheme within eular hps, and the possible scope and remit. Some practical examples on how this could be realized were presented and offer routes to the next stages of developing a eular hp mentorship network. What is evident is that expectations of academic mentorship relating to time, scope and support available need to be defined clearly at the outset. Potential mentees need to drive the mentorship relationship, with the responsibility for active learning remaining with the mentee. However, for any mentorship programme to work and have the input of mentors, clear definitions about what mentors can provide must also be clearly articulated and agreed, to ensure that expectations are realistic and sustainable. Conclusion academic mentorship for eular hps working in rmd settings has been identified as an area for development across europe. Sharing and supporting academic expertise and good practice between professions and between countries has been agreed as a positive step to helping support the academic development of all hp groups across europe who are working with people with rmd conditions. Acknowledgements the authors would like to thank fiona cramp, university of west england, for contributing material and professor tony redmond and dr yeliz prior for group facilitation during the eular 2015 mentorship workshop. References cho, cs, ramanan, ra, feldman, md ( 2011). Defining the ideal qualities of mentorship: a qualitative analysis of the characteristics of outstanding mentors. American journal of medicine 124: 453– 8. Crossref pubmed web of science®google scholarmaastricht university find full text connor, mp, pokora, jb ( 2007). Coaching and mentoring at work: developing effective practice. Maidenhead: open university press (mcgraw hill education). Google scholarmaastricht university find full text detsky, as, baerlocher, mo, detsky, md ( 2007). Academic mentoring – how to give it and how to get it. Jama 297: 2134– 6. Crossref cas pubmed web of science®google scholarmaastricht university find full text frank-bertoncelj, m, hatemi, g, ospelt, c, ramiro, s, machado, p, mandl, p, gossec, l, buch, mh ( 2014). Mentoring of young professionals in the field of rheumatology in europe: results from an emerging eular network (emeunet) survey. Clinical and experimental rheumatology 32: 935– 41. Pubmed web of science®google scholarmaastricht university find full text garvey, r, stokes, p, megginson, d ( 2009). Coaching and mentoring: theory and practice. London: sage. Google scholarmaastricht university find full text megginson, d, clutterbuck, d ( 1995). Mentoring in action. London: kogan page. Google scholarmaastricht university find full text parsloe, e ( 1992). Coaching, mentoring and assessing – a practical guide to developing competence. London: kogan page. Google scholarmaastricht university find full text parsloe, e, leedham, m ( 2009). Coaching and mentoring: practical conversations to improve learning. London: kogan page. Google scholarmaastricht university find full text straus, se, graham, id, taylor, m, lockyer, j ( 2008). Development of a mentorship strategy: a knowledge translation case study. Journal of continuing education in the health professions 28: 117– 22. Wiley online library pubmed web of science®google scholarmaastricht university find full text.