If you are motivated to share your educational and professional experiences in clinical, regulatory, quality, etc., in drugs, devices, and/or biologics and to advise or guide your fellow professionals, you may apply to be a Mentor in the program.
To become a Mentor, you must:
- Be a current OCRA member
- Live and/or work in Southern California
- All OCRA Members will receive an email announcing the Mentorship Program information each year once the program begins.
A call will be broadcast for the mentoring program each year. To apply, complete an application form and email (or mail) it to the address indicated in the instructions on the application. Information will also be posted on this web site. Nonmembers interested in the Mentoring Program are welcome to apply once they become members in OCRA.
The intent of the program is to match one Mentor with one Mentee based on the Mentor’s background and experience and the Mentee’s goals for professional growth. The OCRA Mentoring Committee will notify the mentors and mentees if a suitable match (mentor/mentee match) was found. The OCRA Mentoring Committee will make every effort to match all applicants. The committee will also try to match those OCRA members who live/work outside of Orange County with a mentee/mentor from the same area. A one-hour training program and orientation will be arranged for mentors and mentees. Attendance is mandatory for all participants in the mentoring program.
Establishment of a good working relationship between a mentor and a mentee is up to the two individuals. However, for a successful mentoring experience, at least one face-to-face meeting is encouraged after completion of the initial training. After that, the frequency of mentor/mentee meetings, the location, and the time is to be decided by the mentor and mentee. For some individuals, face-to-face meetings will be optimal, while others may find weekly email exchanges work well to accomplish the goals of the mentoring experience. The mentor and mentee are encouraged to set clear, written goals at the beginning of their mentoring relationship. A commitment of approximately 2 to 4 hours per month is typically needed to make good progress.
Participants in the program will be asked to complete an evaluation form after six months, which is the minimum period of time that OCRA expects each participant will stay with the program.
OCRA intends for this program to offer a valuable and highly sought-after benefit to OCRA members, and we hope many members will take advantage of this opportunity for personal growth.
