Reflections of mentors and mentees on a national mentoring programme for pharmacists in the United Kingdom: An examination into organisational culture and systems

Background: There is no accepted or consistent model for delivering mentoring programmes, manifesting in some debate surrounding the ideal conducive system. Mentorship structures and culture within pharmacy can be advanced by researching experiences of mentors and mentees. Objective: To explore lived experiences of participants in a nationwide mentoring programme in relation to motivations and barriers associated with engaging with mentoring, and what system changes and organisational culture shift could further support mentoring for pharmacy professionals. Methods: This study adopted a constructivist research paradigm, with a qualitative design to focus on how participants interpreted the world and their experiences. Verbatim transcripts of recordings were examined using deductive and inductive thematic analysis. Results: Participants in twenty one-to-one interviews appreciated the programme's allowance for organic relationships to occur, its contribution towards advancing the profession forward, its flexibility, and available resources. They discussed training needs and a more formal onboarding process into the programme that facilitated greater awareness of resources, as well as the need to evaluate and tweak it. System changes were highlighted so that mentoring can be part of the organisational culture, such as incorporating mentoring in job descriptions to increase capacity, senior members of the profession acting as role models, and linking mentoring to existing education and development structures. Conclusion: Data demonstrated the need for formal structure but that which allowed for informal and organic relationships to develop. It is paramount for sponsoring organisations to provide resources and continuously monitor the program. The rich information gathered on administrative support and structure of a mentoring programme, along with its organisational facets, should help organisations when implementing similar initiatives. An organisation sponsoring or administering a mentoring programme must take actions that help codify its mentoring culture and its advocacy of mentoring as key to advancement for its profession's members.