Coaching and mentoring: beyond the role of the clinical coach in veterinary practice

MacLennan (2017) suggested that directing people to ‘do’ has always produced inferior results compared with inspiring people to ‘want to’ do. Mentoring and coaching, if provided skilfully, inspire people to ‘want to’ — but what exactly are these techniques, and how can they be used by members of the veterinary practice team?

Mentoring usually involves a more experienced practitioner (mentor) who serves as a role model in support of a more junior member of staff (mentee) in an area or technique. Mentoring within health care often involves students on placement being supported by a mentor whom they can shadow to see how theory and practice are integrated (Quinn et al, 2014). This relationship is firmly one in which the mentor is more of technical expert, which enables them to share their valuable knowledge and experience. Traditionally, mentoring is the long-term passing on of support, guidance and advice, with a focus on nurturing and guiding the learner (Sibson, 2011). Mentoring is generally understood as a special kind of relationship where objectivity, credibility, honesty, trustworthiness and confidentiality are critical (Connor and Pokora, 2012). While some coaching skills may be used as a mentor, one does not need to be a mentor to be a coach (Donner and Wheeler, 2009).