16
The power of
mentoring
Shivani Kashyap
We speak to two members who participated in the 2018 DHAA Mentor Program and discover the professional value of being mentored By Margaret Galvin
Ian Epondulan
STARTING OUT IN a new career can be daunting. How does one go from the relative safety of the learning environment at university to becoming an independent professional? What can be done when a career feels stale, or there is a need to branch out? How can a career trajectory be changed or restarted? One way is to utilise the skills, knowledge, and experience of a mentor. A mentor possesses a willingness to share these skills, knowledge, and experience, and is able to guide a mentee no matter what stage the mentee is at in their career. The DHAA Bulletin sat down with Ian Epondulan and Shivani Kashyap, two participants from the 2018 DHAA Mentoring Programme, to find out what it was like to take part in the DHAA Mentor Programme as a mentee.
Tell us a little about yourselves. Shivani: I am an oral health therapist
(OHT). I completed my Bachelor of Oral Health (BOH) at the University of Adelaide in 2017 and completed a Graduate Certificate in Oral Health Science in 2019. My dual qualification with extended scope allows me to treat both periodontal and restorative patients in all age groups. I am currently working as an OHT with Azura Dental & Cosmetics and Tea Tree Dental. I also worked in the community with a mobile dental van which gave me the opportunity to visit schools and aged care facilities for preventive, restorative and health promotion purposes.
– Hunter New England Local Health District in metropolitan and rural dental clinics. Throughout my clinical practice I gained an appreciation of oral health promotion activities. I enjoyed delivering presentations in a variety of settings such as to new mothers’ groups, parents at preschool playgroups, students at TAFE, multicultural groups, new migrants, and refugees. In 2016 I embarked on post-graduate study and graduated with a Masters of Public Health (MPH) in 2018 from The University of Sydney and subsequently gained employment with NSW Health – Northern Sydney Local Health District.
How did you find out about the DHAA Mentor Programme?
Ian: I graduated with a BOH in 2012 from
Shivani: My final year hygiene clinical
The University of Sydney and started working as an OHT with NSW Health
tutor, Chris Corner, mentioned the mentor programme available for recent
