By Fran Garraghan, Consultant Pharmacist, Manchester NHS FT and AMR Technical Lead, Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA)

Before undertaking the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Global Health (CPhOGH) Fellowship, I only knew about mentorship through colleagues. Back then mentoring was just another part of the fellowship, and I didn’t appreciate its value. On reflection, it was probably when I needed a mentor the most, but at the time I was experiencing some personal challenges and was too “busy” to see how it could help. By the end of my fellowship, I had seen how peers had blossomed through their mentorship and my own mentor had opened my eyes to how it could be of benefit.

Paying it forward

My own experiences gave me empathy for the challenges that so many pharmacists face, and empowered me to support others and “pay it forward”. After enrolling as a mentor for the next intake of the CPhOGH Fellows I was fortunate enough to be given training in coaching and mentorship with the CPA, and now I’m a mentor for our Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship (CwPAMS) Africa Leadership (ALF-A) Fellowship, and a mentor on the RPS mentoring platform.

Did you know you can mentor while being a mentee?

When I signed up as a mentor, I was entering a new phase of my own career, in the Consultant Pharmacist Credentialing programme. As a Consultant Pharmacist in a microbiology department dominated by medical consultants, I was led to search for a new mentor, and found a Consultant Nurse from another NHS Trust who was willing to support me on my leadership journey. This safe space was invaluable - I could speak openly, without judgement and was encouraged to view my experiences through a different lens. My mentor and I met virtually every month for almost a year, and then, after reflecting that we had reached our agreed goals, we went our separate ways.

Mentoring is a privilege

I’ve now had the privilege of mentoring pharmacists from Devon to Kenya, all at different career stages, many of whom I met via the RPS mentoring platform. Our informal, virtual meetings are light-hearted, often peppered with laughter - and the occasional tears – with every relationship different, and always based on the needs and schedule of the mentee.

As a mentor, I get a real sense of pride in supporting other pharmacists to realise their potential, which, in turn, leads me to reflect on my own clinical practice and development. I believe mentoring is a fundamental part of career development and wellbeing and is often just as beneficial to the mentor as it is to the mentee.

I no longer have an official mentor of my own, but I feel better knowing that in future, in times of change and uncertainty, I can always find a mentor who will support me.

Find out more about RPS mentoring.

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