Purpose of mentoring

The purpose of the SSC Mentorship Program for Accredited Statisticians is to enhance the development of professional statistical practice in Canada through the sharing of knowledge and experience between designated professional practitioners (P.Stat.) and members entering as Associate Statisticians (A.Stat.).
 

Mentorship involves a partnership between two people, where the mentor (who possesses greater skill, knowledge or experience) works collaboratively with a mentee (who is looking to enhance skills, knowledge and experience) in a mutually beneficial process.
 

While there is, by definition, a certain amount of asymmetry in the mentoring relationship there is also a certain amount of reciprocity. Both parties bring different but valid perspectives to the process, both gain from the relationship, and both are equally accountable for success.
 

Further details on the mentoring process are available at the Guidelines for SSC mentorship programs for accredited Statisticians.

Finding a mentor

All A.Stat. need to be matched with a mentor. The choice of mentor may be determined by a hope for personal contact in a geographic region, or advice from a similar subject matter expert, who could interact electronically from a distance. The frequency and type of interactions are determined by the mentor and mentee, with a focus on individual situations.
 

Darcy Pickard (mentor@ssc.ca) has kindly agreed to co-ordinate the matching of mentors and mentees.

Other resources you may find useful

• Wells, K.M., Ryan, M.R., Campa, H., Smith, K.A. (2005). Mentoring guidelines for wildlife professionals. Wildlife Society Bulletin 33, 565-573. (While focusing on mentoring for wildlife professionals, the advice is timely for most professions. The reference list is especially valuable.)
• Schanzer, D. (2015). Tips for Statisticians on learning from data and sharing this knowledge. Liaison 29(2), 41 - 45.