Mentorship Program
Are you ready to AMP up your degree? Well, with the APSA Mentorship Program (AMP), now is your chance!
AMP was created with the intention of students helping other students through pharmacy school. As a mentor, you will have the opportunity to connect with another student in the program, help answer questions, and spread your wisdom on tips and tricks to survive pharmacy school. It is a chance for you to support your colleagues, make new friends, and expand on your own knowledge and skills. After all, we’re all in this together!
As a mentee...
First years, it is my pleasure to introduce to you the APSA Mentorship Program! This is a program that is run by VP Student Services every year throughout the year with an emphasis in the Fall term.
The APSA Mentorship program aims to connect first year pharmacy students with upper year pharmacy students in hopes of providing first year students with guidance and advice with how to best succeed in the pharmacy program. In previous years this program was optional and quite popular since it is a great way to meet students in other cohorts. It allows students to make connections for advice in regards to studying for certain classes, note taking strategies for certain therapeutic topics as well as obtaining answers to any questions you may have as you begin your first semester as a pharmacy student (It’s okay to have lots of questions!).
Each first year student will be paired up with an upper student which has voluntarily signed up to be a mentor! This will give you the opportunity to meet other pharmacy students who share a wealth of knowledge about the program and will help integrate and hopefully prepare you for your future years in the pharmacy program and eventual in person classes.
We know your welcome into the pharmacy program will look a bit different this year, but rest assured the pharmacy student body is a big family. APSA wants to ensure that first years feels accepted and welcomed and this will be our first step to ensure you get to meet some of your future friends and colleagues and have a smooth transition into a professional program!
As a mentor...
Hello APSA Members!
We are gearing up to get APSA’s Mentorship Program (AMP) started with the Fall semester being just around the corner!
The APSA Mentorship program aims to connect students in their first year with upper year pharmacy students in hopes of sharing guidance and advice with how to best succeed in the pharmacy program. Additionally, it allows upper year students to practice a number of skills, such as: reasoning, communication, conflict resolution, and organization all while making a new friend! In previous years this program was optional and quite popular since it is a great way to meet students in other cohorts. This year, given the unique circumstances, we have expanded AMP’s functionality:
Mandatory for First Years:
Our first year students will have mandatory participation in AMP, such that all first years will be paired up with upper year students. We want incoming students to feel welcomed and accepted into the program.
Mentor Groups and Faculty Advisors:
Additionally, this year we have been working closely with the faculty and faculty advisors to create AMP mentor groups among students who share a single faculty advisor. This will allow incoming students to become familiar, and hopefully more comfortable, with a few familiar faces! Additionally, Faculty Advisors are a valuable resource for both students, and can provide our student mentors with support should you need it!
Student Mentors and Tutoring:
Over the years, students have expressed requests to have more opportunities to practice patient interview or patient counselling interactions. This is a critical skill set we all need to practice, but also a very difficult one for many students. New this year, our upper year students can use their experiential education interactions to help their mentees practice counseling or interviewing.
With this new tutoring role, focusing on mock patient interview/counselling skills, we will provide all mentors with a resource on peer mentoring and creating boundaries to help yourselves succeed. Additionally, with both you and your mentee having a shared Faculty Advisor, you can certainly inform your mentee of when questions come up that might be better addressed by a faculty member or reach out to your advisor to ask for further advice!