By Natalie Weiss, BA, BS

Natalie is a fourth-year MD/MBA student at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, LA. She is Chair and Founder of the Southern Medical Association’s Physicians-in-Training Committee. The following excerpt describes some of her experiences surrounding mentorship in medicine.

I believe that, among other things, a capacity for teaching and learning sets humans apart from other species. Our human nature drives us toward developing mentoring relationships with those in our “pack.” This has been true for me, at least. When I feel uncertain, I seek advice from others; when I feel certain, others seek advice from me.

There are many times when I have felt uncertain and needed a mentor for guidance. While growing up, I often imagined that other children would look to their siblings for answers to important questions. How do I make friends in school? How do I apply for college? How do I pick a job? How do I make the world a better place? As an only child, I expanded my “pack” beyond my family. A pediatric emergency physician in New Mexico (and a family friend) became one of my first mentors in medicine. She showed me that it is possible to both love your job and make a meaningful impact doing it. When I left home to study music in college, I often looked back fondly on my time with this physician. Good mentors can change your life, and she certainly changed mine. Her guidance helped me make the decision to change career paths completely. In the years since, I have been lucky enough to find many more great mentors among my colleagues and faculty in medical school.

Knowing the profound effect of mentoring on my path, I have always jumped at the opportunity to pay it forward as a mentor when I feel certain about my position. (do we always need to be certain? Is there value in letting our mentees know we aren’t certain?) Getting involved in organizational leadership has made these opportunities to expand my pack abundant. I have found mentoring to be rewarding on several levels. First, it is a positive experience to see a mentee succeed. Second, I am able to learn more about myself and what drives me through mentoring. And, finally, I have gained a lot of perspective through mentees.

In sum, it is human instinct to develop mentoring relationships with those around us. For success in medicine, we must give support to and receive support from others. I look forward to future relationships with mentors, in times when I need guidance, and mentees, in times when I have guidance to offer.