Were you
fortunate enough to have a mentor somewhere along your career path? I find that within neurodiagnostic
technology, mentoring is a great way to help give a boost to someone who is
trying to prepare for a Board Exam or learn a new modality. Many technologists work in rural areas or in
a one-person lab and they feel isolated and alone and have no one to go to with
questions. I get those kind of calls
every day! ASET used to have a formal
mentor program to try to connect those who needed to learn, with those willing
to coach. Although we do not formally
offer this program any more, I do try to find help for people who really need
it. You might wonder why the mentor
program was dropped. I found that it was
extremely difficult to find a qualified person to serve as a mentor for a
specific tech who needed help, mostly due to the geographic challenges. The techs wanted mentors they could visit in
person, and that was next to impossible to find.
I had a very
special mentor, early in life who inspired me and gave me confidence, my
grandmother, whom I called “Nana”. She
was born in Eastport, Maine in 1898, one of seven children in a fairly poor
family. But she really could cook! Most of the time she did so without a written
recipe. She taught me how to cook at a very early
age. I remember being small enough,
maybe six or seven, when I stood on a stool in front of the stove while she
made a fish chowder. She showed me how
it should look, and when to add ingredients.
I have made chowders ever since, fish and clam chowders that get rave
reviews from guests. So, I decided to
enter a Chowder Competition here in Boothbay.
I was competing with about 20 restaurant chefs. I did O.K. and had loads of fun but did not
win, place or show. But I learned a lot
that I can use when I try again next year.
Here is a picture of me as “Fish Chowder Faye”.
On a sad note, this historic ship, the
Bounty, a replica used for the movie and for other films such as Pirates of the
Caribbean, was being repaired at the shipyard where the chowderfest took place
in Boothbay Harbor and I took this picture.
This ship
just left Maine and sailed South, and was lost at sea off of Cape Hatteras, due
to Hurricane Sandy. Most of the crew
were rescued, two are lost.
Back to the mentoring: You too have important skills and knowledge that you can share with others. Please reach out to techs that you know and offer to help them prepare for exams or learn new skills, from IONM to lab management! Your contribution will help build our profession and our work force. My next entry will include more about lab management, as I have questions for all of you pertaining to your needs in this area.
