Using Elo to provide a more flexible mentoring program for family physicians in Quebec

Using Elo to provide a more flexible mentoring program for family physicians in Quebec

The JUMO mentoring program of the Collège québécois des médecins de famille (CQMF) was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Conceived and launched by the CQMF’s Junior Staff Committee, this mentoring program, deployed on the Elo mentoring platform, addresses the needs of the family medicine community during a time of a pandemic. 

The Elo team spoke with Geneviève Bolduc, coordinator of the CQMF’s mentorship program, to find out how this practice is an essential support service for Family Doctors in a time of great change.

Geneviève Bolduc mentoring program manager

Family medicine: a vital profession turned upside down by the pandemic

As front-line workers, the entire family physician community had to quickly adapt to the changes and learn to navigate the unknown of the pandemic.

Indeed, since last March, the essential vocation of family medicine has been turned upside down on many levels: virtual consultations, public health recommendations that evolve daily, expansion of the field of competence to lend a hand where needs are great, particularly in CHSLDs, distance learning, the beginning of the professional career in a pandemic climate, etc.

Helping family physicians better navigate this unprecedented time with virtual mentorship

The JUMO mentorship program, conceived by the CQMF’s succession committee, was born of a desire to support the Quebec family medicine community in all these changes.

Virtual mentoring allows CQMF members to expand their professional network, support each other and exchange with other physicians or future physicians who are experiencing similar issues.

JUMO, a virtual mentoring program complementary to the traditional mentoring program

Mentoring is already a well-established practice within the Collège québécois des médecins de famille, as a traditional mentoring program has been offered to the members since 2016. However, because of its more structured nature, the support for members is more selective. In fact, this mentoring program is recognized as a continuing education activity. It welcomes about ten dyads per cohort and requires a greater commitment of time for mentors and mentees. The waiting list for the traditional mentoring program does not lie: mentoring is well and truly appreciated by CQMF members.

According to Geneviève, expanding access to mentoring with JUMO was a natural extension of the existing mentoring program at the CQMF. “The deployment of JUMO on the Elo mentoring software has made it possible to expand the mentoring program to more people more quickly in order to foster a mentoring culture within the Collège québécois des médecins de famille.”

Using Elo to provide a more flexible mentoring option for Quebec family physicians

Geneviève also mentions that “Elo is structured but flexible at the same time. “A perfect combination that allows mentors and mentees to be autonomous in their mentoring while receiving continuous guidance from Elo‘s experts.” Geneviève greatly appreciates this aspect, as it saves her management time.

The Future of the JUMO Mentorship Program

For Geneviève and her team, JUMO is constantly evolving. Now that the first participants have signed up, it is time to increase promotional efforts to get more members to sign up.  This is why the committee wishes to spread the word about the many benefits of the JUMO mentoring program to their 4000 members.

Of course, the pandemic won’t last forever. Starting today, CQMF members can sign up for the Elo mentoring platform to get support on more common issues in the world of medicine: specialty choice, exam preparation, transition to residency or practice, etc.

One thing is certain: with JUMO, the Collège québécois des médecins de famille has a powerful tool to create a culture of mutual aid and support within the Quebec family medicine community. This is a real asset to normalize the experience of physicians and allow them to navigate the family medicine journey with confidence, pandemic or not.

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Start a mentoring program on the Elo mentoring platform

Would you like to launch a virtual mentoring program? Discover Elo, the turnkey mentoring platform that makes it easy for organizations to launch and manage a mentoring program. With over 20 years of experience in the mentoring world, our experts are here to help and guide you step by step. In addition, program coordinators, mentors and mentees benefit from personalized coaching.