Mentorship Matters: Nurturing Success in the Medical Field

Prospective Doctor (from MedSchoolCoach)

Dr. Erkeda DeRouen talks to Dr. Adaira Landry, an emergency medicine physician, author, and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. They talk about the impact and importance of advocating for diversity and mentorship, the power of networking, and how to create equitable spaces in the medical field.

• [00:00] Introduction
• [04:24] Advocating for Diversity, Mentorship, and the Power of Networking
• [10:43] Imposter Syndrome, Decreasing Bias, and Creating Equitable Spaces
• [20:33] Going After What You Want and Asking Questions
• [28:23] What Dr. Landry Would Change About the Healthcare System
• [30:51] Parting Thoughts

What is Imposter Syndrome?

The original paper on Imposter Syndrome was published in 1973 by two white female psychologists where they looked at women, mostly white, mid-career, doing phenomenal work, and being recognized by their peers, but felt like they were fraudulent despite being in a positive environment. However, for Dr. Landry, she feels like people in her community recognize their own potential and know that there is a lot they can offer, but no one is welcoming them. It’s not imposter syndrome, but a feeling of being unseen, unheard, unwelcome, and unsupported.

Networking and Nurturing Relationships

How do you nurture relationships and go back to them and feel like it’s a safe space? First is to know that these relationships are bi-directional; you can’t just take and you also have to offer. Secondly, own your relationships and putting all the logistics on your plate such as meetings and even Zoom meetings. Lastly is to pace your asks and the amount of time you’re asking of someone.

Preorder Dr. Adaira Landry’s book “MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact”, which comes out on April 16, through Amazon or Barnes and Noble. You can reach out to her through Instagram and Twitter.

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