Description

The mentors are experienced clinicians recruited from major NGOs, such as the Spastic Association of Hong Kong, Heep Hong Society, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong (ELCHK), Tuen Mun Integrated Elderly Service, Community Services Units under the Tung Wah Group Hospitals, and the Health Promotion Unit in the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Students are divided into small groups and attached to one of the NGO centres 4 times, in each case for 3 hours.
 

Intended educational value 

The programme aims to provide mentored learning experience in the community.
 

Example of application

This mentorship programme has been run with two student cohorts (2006/07 and 2007/08). A total of 40 final year students volunteered and participated in it.
 

Evaluation/Comments

Very positive feedback was obtained through questionnaire surveys of mentees and mentors. Students who completed this mentorship programme considered the interaction with the clients and mentors to be very helpful, commenting that they had:

• acquired knowledge and practical experience, which increased their confidence in working in an NGO setting;
• been given opportunities to explore various resources available in the community and encouraged to establish long-term relationships with their mentors; and
• broadened their views on pursuing a career path in a=n HGO setting.

Mentors who participated in this programme provided excellent feedback, noting that they:

• appreciated the experience sharing with the students in teaching and learning; and
• believed that this sort of mentorship program is of value to students and should continue to be conducted in the future.

These NGO centres do not usually provide clinical placements for our students, but after this programme some of them expressed willingness to offer a short-term attachment programme.

This programme may have given NGO employers a better understanding of the contribution of physiotherapists to community rehabilitation. We hope that more NGO employers will recognize the importance of having a physiotherapy (PT) service in their organizations and will have greater confidence in hiring fresh physiotherapy graduates.