Abstract:

The degree in Pharmacy of the University of Castilla-La Mancha is included in the branch of Health Sciences and its main objective is to train specialists in all aspects of drugs and medicines, in accordance with European Directives relating to the pharmacology profession.
The degree requires five years of full time study, and there are two semesters per year. The first two years are foundation years in which students study biology, chemistry, and basic pharmaceutical science and are introduced to pharmacy. The remaining three years are devoted to higher levels of biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, together with specialized clinical pharmacy studies. During the fourth and fifth year, considerable time is spent in clinical placements in community and hospital pharmacies, where valuable practical experience is gained.
A first-year student either coming from high-school or the vocational training system find many difficulties in our degree related to the high level of demand together with the multidisciplinary typology of the different subjects they have to take during the year. The teaching staff of this degree has designed an innovative project with the aim of helping first-year students to achieve their full potential. Particularly, the program is based on a mentoring relationship between freshmen and senior. The mentoring partnership formulated is a structured one-to-one relationship that focuses on the needs of the mentored participant.
The mentoring program in the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Castilla-La Mancha is called ‘FRATER’ and it takes shaped on four stages: selection, formation, execution, and evaluation stage.
Selection Stage (before starting the classes): specialized psychologists look for students who show the ability to relate to mentees, motivate, listen, and assist them to make plans and carry them through. The mentors also identify a mentee's hidden talents and skills, communicate hope and optimism, make time available, help mentees to become more connected to school, maintaining confidentiality and trust within appropriate limits. The selection is carried out by the help of test-taking strategies and personal interviews.
Training Stage (first month of the first year degree): three-year students are trained to be mentors. Mentors have to know all university regulations, be able to share knowledge, proper communication, improve their emotional intelligence, and make a good management time wisely. Specialized psychologists are in charge of all this training.
Execution Stage (during the year): the mentors develop their mentoring job by means of several meetings along the year. The mentors have to record every event that take place during the meetings by filling out subsequent reports.
Evaluation Stage (at the end of the year): the evaluation of the mentoring program will be achieved by the coordination team of the mentoring program through different satisfaction tests and personal interviews with mentors and mentees.
Herein in this short communication we would like to report the results obtained from ‘FRATER’ and sum up the benefits that mentor and mentee can obtain from such academic experience.

Keywords:

Mentor, mentee, innovative project.