About

AMN – P&A
About admin July 31, 2023
The Atlantic Mentorship Network is a non-industry-funded, multi-faceted organization whose goal is to improve the capacity of community-based primary care providers and allied health care professionals to provide evidence-informed, compassionate care to people living with chronic pain, substance use and/or mental health through adaptive mentorship.

Adaptive mentorship is a safe, non-judgmental experience providing opportunities for clinical conversations tailored to Mentees’ evolving needs. 

Three fundamental tenets of adaptive mentorship:

  • Ensures the form of mentorship is adaptive and fits the needs of the participants
  • Ensures there is bi-directional learning/value for both Mentor and Mentee
  • Creates safe and compassionate spaces that cultivate trust and enhance resiliency amongst participants

Adaptive mentorship encourages capacity building through:

  • Examining and addressing systemic and clinical barriers to timely access and supports for people experiencing chronic pain, mental health and substance use conditions
  • Building and enhancing connections between specialized services and community/primary care
  • Encouraging longitudinal support that is well aligned with complex care needs

Adaptive mentorship can include different:

  • Environments: in-person, email, phone, video conferencing
  • Forms of mentoring: one-to-one, group, peer
  • Purposes/durations: discussing single cases vs. longitudinal spanning years

Members of the Atlantic Mentorship Network consist of a wide variety of primary care providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, students, and many more.

Together, mentors and mentees create a safe, non-judgmental community with opportunities for discussions about complex clinical challenges. The networks can leverage different mentoring environments (e.g., in-person, virtual), forms of mentoring (e.g., 1:1, small group, large group), and duration of interactions (e.g., a single clinical question, to discussions spanning years).

Mentors plan engagement with Mentees by:

  • Collaborating with AMN Director, Program Lead, and Coordinator  in developing and delivering creative evidence-based initiatives that enhance the learning experiences of Mentees
  • Assisting in the development of small group meeting design, format and content aimed to facilitate growth and learning for Mentees
  • Working with the Coordinator and Program Lead to schedule and deliver small group sessions

Mentors engage with Mentees by:

  • Providing advice and support within the scope of clinical expertise
  • Covering key competencies while helping Mentees navigate clinical situations
  • Providing one-to-one mentorship to Mentees
  • Responding to Mentees’ communications within 48-72 hours
  • Hosting in-person and/or virtual small group sessions
  • Supporting the development of compassionate, non-judgmental learning communities

Mentees are asked to:

  • Be respectful of other Mentees and AMN Staff
  • Contribute to a non-judgmental compassionate environment
  • Interact collaboratively with AMN community, including Mentors, Coordinator, Program Lead, and Director to ensure a rich and meaningful Mentee experience
  • Attend and actively participate in group sessions
  • Attend and following up on any one-to-one mentoring sessions they have scheduled with a Mentor
  • Respond to Mentors’ communications within 48-72 hours
  • Participates in network communication, evaluations, surveys, and activities
  • Commits to self-development and assumes the responsibility for acquiring or improving skills and knowledge
  • Provide input and feedback to AMN leadership team
  • Provide insight and input on strategies to gain momentum and support for AMN

A 2019 evaluation of the AMN-P&A, members reported:

  • 94% improvement in the confidence to manage more complex clinical conditions
  • 92% improvement in their knowledge, clinical skills, and confidence
  • 80% increase in compassion and empathy toward patients experiencing pain or addiction.

In the 2019 evaluation, members of the AMN-P&A viewed the Network as a center of excellence for pain and addiction.

In a 2019 evaluation, members of the AMN-P&A reported that the Network:

  • Provides opportunities to network, to have safe peer-to-peer conversations, and offer and receive support
  • Changes thinking around prescribing and how they communicate with patients and managing complex cases.
  • Provides opportunities to influence the healthcare system and build connections between organizations
  • Provides exposure to interdisciplinary work/ discussions that contribute to change in thinking and that the knowledge of other health care providers’ roles enhances connectedness and cooperation
  • Influences prescribing practices through its ongoing education and supports.
  • Mentees who express interest in participating in Small Group Mentorship can expect in-person or virtual meetings to be held at least three times throughout the year at a time agreed to by the Mentees and Mentors within each group.
  • Mentees who partake in One-to-One Mentorship will work with their assigned Mentor to determine the frequency and time that works best.
  • Continuous quality improvement is important for the AMN, both in setting direction for the future of the network, and to show our funders the types of impacts the network makes on its members. Members are expected to complete a brief intake survey upon entering the AMN, an annual evaluation, and semi-annual surveys for the duration of their participation in the network.
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