Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Mentorship to Improve Leadership Diversity

Baystate Health, based in Springfield, Mass., has two formal mentorship programs available to its workforce. Both programs have an external educational component with an aligned internal mentorship and leadership development program. External opportunities for professional development and education are provided on soft skills such as negotiating, branding and conflict resolution. Baystate Health's programs engage participants and help them build networks and grasp opportunities to develop their careers. Participants then either identify a mentor within the organization or are matched with a mentor. The entire mentorship program, including the external education, spans one year. The mentorship program is linked back to the organization's talent improvement initiatives, and the program?s effectiveness and impact are measured on an ongoing basis.