By Adeola Ogunlade
Developing the leadership, emotional and managerial skills of young doctors in Nigeria for optimal performance, The Dr. Abayomi Ajayi Physicians Mentorship Programme has kick started its six month mentorship programme (Cohort 3) for 14 doctors across Nigeria.
The training, which runs extensively for six months, hopes to enhance their personal and professional performances in four key areas including “Leadership using Emotional Intelligence”, “Planning”, “Self-discovery”, and “Decision Making”.
The Cohort 2 comprises 14 mentees aged between 25 and 35. A team of 15 highly resourceful minds and top professionals were brought on board as mentors for this year’s training. They are likes of Fertility Expert and MD/CEO Nordica Fertility Centre, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi; Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Prof. Bomi Ogedengbe; Dean, Faculty of Clinical Science, OAU, Prof. Ebun Adejuyigbe; Former Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Lanre Fagbohun, among others.
Speaking in a virtual meeting with mentors and mentees to herald the programme, Managing Director of Nordica Fertility Centre, Lagos, Dr. Abayomi Ajayi said that the programme is set toward enhancing the career growth of young physicians and improve transformational leadership in the medical profession.
Ajayi said “the Mentoring Programme will contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 by promoting the development, training and retention of health workers in Nigeria. It will help to enhance the career growth of young physicians and improve transformative leadership in the medical profession, retain and support physicians in the formative years of their career by equipping them with leadership competences.
“We want young professionals to understand that there is a future here in this country. Despite our own challenges, Nigeria, with a population of over 200 million, has many comparative advantages. I am not saying doctors cannot travel abroad to acquire more skills, but after acquiring the skills, we want them to come back to Nigeria,” he added.
“Our delivery approach is truly inclusive; action based, universal design learning, which immediately convert knowledge to profitable action. The thematic focus of the mentoring programme is drawn from the visionary directives of imparting leadership skills, developing excellence in character, inspiring the sense of responsibility, building capacity in the mentees”, he said.
He stated that The Physicians Mentoring Programme is organised for emerging Physicians in partnership with Nordica Foundation. The Programme was born out of the burning desire of the founder to enhance the career growth of young physicians and improve transformative leadership in the medical profession.
Ajayi added that the mentoring programme is highly beneficial to mentees who are young medical professionals and aspiring medical leaders. It gives them the opportunity to develop an on-going relationship by meeting regularly and discussing matters relating to career development and advancement within an organised and supportive framework.
“The achievement made at previous editions of the training is remarkable. They have successful churned out courageous and determined physicians doing remarkably well in the profession”, he said.