During interviews with 20 executive women in healthcare, the topic of mentoring was boarched and it was determined that 18 of these women recognize mentoring playing a key role in advancement efforts.

This study was completed on the east coast and explored the mentoring relationships between women and their advancement to executive positions.

Interesting to note is that overwhelmingly, these women recommended informal over formal mentoring to help others succeed. These women shared the essence of their experiences and concluded that the formal strucutre did not work as well or provide fast results unlike informal mentoring approaches. In each case, these women were uncomfortable about approaching a possible mentor while at the same time, these mentors were delighted and honored to assist in career advancement.

The informal mentoring is ongoing with over half of the women interviewed. Not surprisingly, these 20 women are currently mentoring other men and women for career advancement. For questions, please contact Dr. Catherine Burr at DrCatherineBurr@ymail.com