January is National Mentorship Month, and Sonal Haerter, MBBS, an assistant professor of medicine at Creighton University’s School of Medicine in Phoenix, is a go-to mentor for medical students. Committed to guiding students toward their aspirations while nurturing their well-being, Haerter embodies Creighton faculty investment in student success.
We asked Haerter to share her thoughts on why mentorship matters and how medical students can make the most of this valuable resource.
Haerter: Mentorship helps students define their goals and tap into their own potential. Mentorship is incredibly important for networking. I work with a number of students who are not looking to go into internal medicine, which is my specialty; however, I have networks in other specialties that can help bridge that gap. Mentorship also holds students accountable. We all need accountability partners, and a mentor is a great way to find one. Especially in medical school, there is so much going on. A mentor can help center a medical student and provide them with avenues for reaching their maximum potential.
Haerter: The most important thing is sitting down with the student and finding out what they want. Discussing how they envision achieving their goals is helpful in providing direction and connecting them with resources, whether that is networking in or out of state, working on research projects or more.
Haerter: I tell all my students: you can have multiple mentors. You do not need to be monogamous when it comes to mentorship. You can have a mentor for your specialty, for work-life integration, for health and wellness and more. Mentors only add to your life if you find the right ones. I also advise students to connect with attendings during their rotations. They can connect with attendings based on their personalities, their interests or their specialty. Start there and see if that individual is the right person to guide you.
Haerter: I am built on my mentors’ backs. I’ve had some amazing mentors. Priya Radhakrishnan, MD, was my advisor, my associate program director and an inspiring career mentor to me. She gave me direction and opportunities to achieve my goals. She always believed in inviting people to the table, giving people opportunities and helping others. She helped me understand that helping other people makes everyone grow exponentially. There are so many other faculty members on campus, such as Jaya Raj, MD, Claudia Chambers, MD, Nicole Piemonte, PhD, and Sai-Sridhar Boddupalli, MD, who are my colleagues but also mentors to me here on the Phoenix campus.
Haerter: It is so exciting that our first batch of medical students in Phoenix are graduating in a few months. I think what makes our faculty so incredibly talented is that everyone is passionate about both education and well-being. We often check on our students to see how they are doing, both academically and emotionally. There are so many programs for wellness and career guidance, and there is constant dialogue among faculty for implementing processes for promoting well-being among students. We love working here, and we want our students to reach their full potential.
Haerter: I know medical school is overwhelming. It is a lot, but you have amazing faculty and a support system around you. Use it! Be your best advocate and try not to compare yourself with others. You are surrounded by brilliance, but we are all unique. We all have different talents and gifts. When you are surrounded by talented people, the natural tendency is to compare – do not do that. It takes the joy and fulfillment away from you. Avoid comparison and find your mentors.