Mentoring Future Colleagues
How LifeFlight’s new Clinical Mentorship Program is bolstering recruitment efforts and strengthening the critical care workforce across Maine.
Clinicians from across Maine are taking part in LifeFlight’s year-long Clinical Mentorship Program, which offers in-person education days at LifeFlight facilities, one-on-one mentorship with a current crew member, and the opportunity to accompany crews on clinical observation shifts.
After a successful inaugural year of the program in 2025, which included four participants, clinicians from across New England applied to be a part of the second cohort which is currently underway. After an intensive application and interview process, six clinicians were accepted.
“With current LifeFlight clinicians serving as mentors, the goal is to build a relationship in which mentees can share clinical experiences, ask questions, and obtain guidance to further clinical expertise in preparation for future employment opportunities with LifeFlight of Maine,” said Casey Farrar, a flight nurse and Mentorship Program Coordinator.
“Sometimes people don’t completely understand what is actually involved in being a critical care transport clinician,” said Luke Jackson, a flight nurse/paramedic and Mentorship Program Coordinator. “It’s a good educational opportunity for participants to ask themselves, ‘Can I do this? Do I really want to do this?’”
The program also highlights the educational and professional areas mentees need to build upon before applying to work at LifeFlight. For example, an ER nurse who has a goal of becoming a flight nurse may realize she needs to spend a few years working in an ICU before applying.
“They might change their whole career path because of the information they learned, in order to get the experience they need to be a better candidate,” said Luke. “If we can educate these folks a bit more about what LifeFlight does and help them to develop a good five-year plan as to how they might rearrange their professional and educational careers, so they are ready to join the LifeFlight team, the mentorship has been a success.”
Cole Bryant is a nurse at Maine Medical Center in the cardiac ICU. His father, Riley Bryant, spent years as a flight paramedic with LifeFlight. Cole remembers watching his dad get ready for work and getting to see the LifeFlight helicopter up close when he was a child. As he grew up, he discovered his own passion for nursing and medicine. He was accepted into this year’s mentorship program, with the hope of one day becoming a flight nurse at LifeFlight.
“I went into critical care medicine and always had the goal of working for LifeFlight,” said Cole. “It’s really cool to be a part of the mentorship program and to learn more about it. And hopefully, get as much information from these amazing clinicians as I can.”
At least four times a year, mentees attend education days at LifeFlight’s bases in Sanford, Lewiston, and Bangor. The classes are taught by LifeFlight of Maine clinicians and educators, allowing the mentees to meet more team members. Topics include EKG interpretation, clinical case reviews, airway management, lab interpretation and treatment, and an introduction to LifeFlight protocols and procedures.
“But what they’re really learning is, how do we think? How do we learn? How do we emphasize critical thinking and how can you use that in your job that you do right now, every day, while you’re not working at LifeFlight?” said Tom Gutow, a flight nurse and Senior Clinical Educator who helps teach the courses.
“It’s definitely a new way of thinking for me,” said Cole. “I’m stepping out of the safety of my hospital.”
The Mentorship Program Coordinators put extra time toward making sure each participant is paired with a mentor with whom they will be able to connect and relate to. “We try diligently to match up mentors with mentees who have similar life and professional experience,” shared Luke. “It makes the program really beneficial for everyone.”
Ideally, mentees form a personal connection with their mentors, creating a space for them to ask questions and learn more about the role of critical care transport clinicians.
“If something does happen at work, they have a tough call, or they had a really bad patient situation, and they want to talk about it, they are able to reach out to their mentor,” said Casey.
“We talked often and had an ongoing text thread,” Luke said about his previous mentee. “He would text me about different calls that he found challenging, or ones that he was really excited about, where he was able use his new skills. I would do the same thing. It was great for both of us. Our families even ended up meeting for dinner a couple of times.”
After finishing the mentorship program, some participants decide to further their education and work experience with the goal of eventually applying to the LifeFlight team. For others, they realize critical care transport is not the right fit. However, all participants complete the program having learned valuable skills and built meaningful connections.
“Even if they don’t end up wanting to apply, they end up leaving the mentorship program with a greater understanding of what we do as an organization and our mission. And they’ll have a lot more knowledge and experience, for whatever they do, whether it’s a medic or a nurse,” said Luke.
“I hope that they learn to love this type of medicine,” added Casey. “I hope that they learn to be curious and continue to be a learner, even as they move towards the top of their practice. I hope that in finding companionship with someone from LifeFlight, even if they don’t decide to pursue this career or work with us, that they know that they have a friend in LifeFlight, and that they’re able to call for anything. We just want people to be great clinicians, great coworkers, great mentors themselves. So, I’m hoping this program gives them a little bit of that, too.”
