Listening to—and Guiding—Mentees with Dr. Laura Davisson

Laura Davisson, MD, MPH, FACP, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at West Virginia University. Dr. Davisson earned her medical degree and completed a residency in internal medicine at West Virginia University, where she also served as the chief resident. She then earned her Master’s Degree in public health in West Virginia University's biostatistics and epidemiology track. Dr. Davisson is an active member of American College of Physicians and serves as the governor of ACPs West Virginia Chapter. She is passionate about resident and student teaching and also serves as an associate program director for the Internal Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Davisson is also certified by the American Board of Obesity Medicine. She founded WVU Medicine's Medical Weight Management program. There is a major similarity between patient-doctor relationships, and mentee-mentor relationships. Today, Dr. Laura Davisson explains how as a doctor, although we may believe we know best for our patients, we have to take the time to listen to our patients. And when we listen to them, we need to guide them toward feeling empowered to make the best decisions for their own health. When it comes to mentorships, mentors have the responsibility of listening to our goals as mentees. And when they do that, they need to guide us toward feeling empowered to make our own decisions. As the mentee, our job is to be open, honest, and genuine with our mentors about what those goals and passions are, what we’re struggling with, and what we’re hoping to achieve. Pearls of Wisdom: 1. Pick a career that inspires you. Narrow down your areas of interest, and pursue a specific area within that interest. 2. When it comes to bedside care, give our patients the time to tell their stories. We also need to give our patients room to make decisions themselves, instead of telling them what to do. Even if we know the ‘right answer’, we should do our best to walk the patient toward that answer, and empower them to find it themselves. 3. As a resident, incorporate physical exercise whenever possible. It will make you more focused, and you will find you’ll be able to get more done in less time. 4. Be honest and genuine in everything we do. Remember that our mentors have been in our shoes before, and recognizes the challenges we’re facing. It’s better to be honest with them, rather trying to hide anything.