How Group Mentorship Helps You at Northwestern Medicine
At Northwestern Medicine, mentorship programs exist to help team members learn, grow and make new connections. One of the programs is the NM Academy Group Mentorship Program.
“You’re learning about yourself, others and the organization,” says Chrissy Segreti, MSN, RN, talent development partner, NM Academy, who leads the program. “We can help people find roles and connections here at Northwestern Medicine that fulfill and speak to them not just on career level, but also on a personal level.”
NM Academy provides training, education and consultation for employees to support best-in-class development opportunities for both current and future roles at Northwestern Medicine. The six-month mentorship program is built for employees from across the health system.
After a fall application process, groups of six to seven mentees, guided by two co-mentors, explore various professional and career-building topics, such as:
- Relational skills
- Communication
- Career paths
- Leading and influencing others
- Business skills
Lena Searcy, patient services representative, Northwestern Medicine Immediate Care Aurora, participated in the mentorship program in 2023. She says it helped her learn more about herself both inside and outside of her career.
“We’re all still going through similar things, no matter where we are in our career,” says Searcy. “There are always challenges we can face and work through together.”
Searcy first came to Northwestern Medicine as a patient in 2013 to receive care for colon cancer, and was treated again in 2017 for an intracranial hemorrhagic stroke. She joined the organization as an employee in 2021.
In a full-circle moment, the wrap-up ceremony for the mentorship program was in the same building where she originally received her cancer care. Now, through the program and her work at Northwestern Medicine, she says she has been able to find a fulfilling way to give back all that was given to her as a patient.
“Patients often come in with a weight on their shoulders,” she says. “I want to let them know everything that is available, and to support and empower them.”
You too can make a difference in the lives of care teams and patients. See what opportunities await you at Northwestern Medicine.