Open AccessThe formation of a mentoring program as a mechanism to increase the knowledge of SQA members
Author(s) -
Eitzen Melissa,
Cunningham Janet
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the quality assurance journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1099-1786
pISSN - 1087-8378
DOI - 10.1002/qaj.460
Subject(s) - quality assurance , medical education , test (biology) , foundation (evidence) , psychology , quality (philosophy) , engineering , engineering management , knowledge management , computer science , political science , operations management , medicine , paleontology , philosophy , external quality assessment , epistemology , law , biology
Starting a career in the Quality Assurance (QA) field is often an intimidating endeavor, and over time, building a career can present challenges and introduce obstacles. While education and training can provide a solid foundation, a mentor can help a less experienced QA professional to determine career direction, build confidence, and enhance performance by increasing knowledge. Volunteers from the Society of Quality Assurance (SQA) have established a Mentoring Program in order to provide members with opportunities to be mentored in areas of the field new to them and to enhance their leadership skills by serving as mentors. The program was developed over three years and resulted in the launch of a formal Mentoring Program in the summer of 2009. This article discusses the inception of the idea and describes the processes used to build the program currently offered to the members of SQA. Included in the article are survey results collected during a pilot mentoring program used to test the program framework. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.