Poetry Analysis Penetrating Poetry

Question: Discuss about thePoetry Analysisfor Penetrating Poetry. Answer: Introduction That was Steven Wilson with Lazarus, I am your host (Name) and now welcome again to Penetrating Poetry. Our regular listeners will be aware that from this week we will be studying the genre of War poetry. Tonight we are going to discuss, Disabled by Wilfred Owen that reflects the tormented feelings of a young soldier after the World War I, written in 1917. The poet himself had served in the war and faced the traumatic experiences in the war himself. His poems totally reflect those experiences in the war. The poem is not only a reflection of the traumatic war experience of a young soldier, but it also focuses on the situations after war and how his individual dreams seem to be unattainable to him. The poem originally was created in order to represent every men and boy who joined the army during First World War due to the false information and propaganda the government had served out. As soon as the victims of the false propaganda came to know the cruel reality, the horror and the destruction of war had captured them by then. Every individual who had joined the army during the First World War did not have any personal agenda of joining the army; rather they were bothered about the glory that was entitled with that. The poem has the omniscient narrator and tells the story of the central character of the poem who looks at the life after returning from the Great War with severe injuries that are life changing for him. The poem impacts on the readers magnificently because the poem depicts the past which we read in the history books. The poet was a high rank officer in the army and before witnessing the dire humanity he himself was a pro war poet so his opinion about the experience in war was not biased rather the journey from home to the frontline gave the readers a sense of respect and connection towards the narrator. In the first stanza of the poem, the author tells the reader about a soldier who represents each and every young man who have suffered from a physical or mental wound and said that he sat in the week chair waiting for the dark. He sat in a wheeled chair, waiting for dark, And shivered in his ghastly suit of grey, Legless, sewn short at elbow. By using the phrase sat in a wheel chair waiting for dark in the introductory stanza the author puts emphasis on the protagonist of the poem and informs the readers that the soldier is now paralyzed and lost the control over his life, which apparently links back to the title of the poem. Owen has also used linguistic expressions like sibilance, short, and sewn to portray an image of having the physical loss to the soldier and puts more emphasis on the physical disability of the young soldier. The words wheeled and waiting also added to the expressions of passiveness of the protagonist. Through the first few lines the author had transmitted the feeling into the readers mind and the readers start feeling pity towards all the young soldiers who have already thrown their lives in the Great War. The first stanza stands out and communicates with the readers saying that there is not any joy left in his life and all he can do is to wait for the death to take him away from the mundane life. The second stanza of the poem is formed to contrast the pleasant and vivid images about the past life of the soldier and tells the reader about the joys and passions he had in his previous life that have been taken from him. The poet has juxtaposed the happiness and sorrow. The first three lines of the stanza are full of positivity and joy. This stanza gives the reader a joyful image. Through the phrases such as swing so gay, girl glanced lovelier and glow lamps budded, a sense of positivity passes through the minds of the reader and represents a picture where the soldier is visualizing his previous life what he strongly wishes to be real again. However the cruel reality suddenly appears in front of his eyes with the brutal contrast threw away his knees that shows that even the soldier himself believes that loss was nothing but wastage. The time frame marker now has been used to show the reader the brutal reality is in the present. Using the phrase now he will never feel again the po ets gives the author a sense that he can never be able to have a girl and that feeling hurts the reader as this could have been a significant phase in the soldiers life. His current physical situation haunts him every time while thinking about the past life. The poet have used the adjectives warm and subtle to show that how important they were in his life. However, now the girls look towards the men who are whole, this portrays the sheer pain in the soldiers life seeing that how girls treat him with pity and opt for the physically strong men, even though some of them were attracted to him before this massacre happened in his life. This way poet describes the war, shows that the Great War is nothing but a tragic loss in his life. In the third stanza Own have used a metaphor that makes the readers understand how the young soldier has led his previous life before joining the army. The phrase There was an artist, silly for his face shows that previously many were attracted towards him because of his beauty like the artist, contrasting the fact that now he is old, even if he is still young and nobody is attracted towards him and pity him for his loss. In this part, the time before and the after the war are in a contrast. The poet has used the time markers to highlight the effect of the war on him and sympathize with the boy who was beautiful in the last year but now he looks like an old man. Here the poet also justifies the name of the poem as the disability plays a significant impact on the mind of the soldier and he feels useless and unimportant. The color purple here symbolizes the life that shows that he no longer can have romantic relationships because of the severe physical loss at this young age and will n ever have someone to start a family with. In the fourth stanza the soldier keeps on brooding over his previous life where he liked to play football and he was proud of the wounds he had that he had received while playing football. However, that is in total contrast with the wounds he has now. Through these lines the poet wants to depict how he was happy with his heroism previously and that sharply contrasts his mental state after being the real hero and others treatment towards him. In the later stanzas Owen criticized the corrupted authority and how smiling they wrote his lie and makes the reader sympathize with the boy seeing that he was entirely influenced while joining the army. He also criticized the glory attached to war as smart salutes seem ironic to him as he does not have an arm anymore to salute. Later in the poem Owen makes a high contrast with the previous positive life with the present passive life all over again. The cheers that seemed enthusiastic before the war now the soldier feels the crowd is unsure to react as there is no cheer for them who have come back from war. In the last stanza Owen again emphasized the passive life of the boy who will spend a few sick years in Institutes and reinforces the idea that he has nothing more left to do in his life which again links back to the previous stanzas of the poem. Disabled is a powerful poem that shows the strong anti-war message between the lines. The poem is a clear juxtaposition of the flashbacks from the past to present and with each flashbacks Owen has used a significant tone change where he realizes that his happy life has turned into a life emptiness and tragedy after war.. Owen have successfully highlighted the sense of depression in the victims of war and showed how the glory of war has been replaced with despair and darkness. Next week we will be discussing another war poet of this time and I hope you will be able to join me there.

Derek Jeter free essay sample

The black market is bad and the fair market is the only fair way. Compensate the athletes before the black market is into too much trouble that they cant fix. These colleges have so much money. The university of Memphis mens basketball teams brought in $6. 7 million (Evasive). They earn so much through the year and they have so much income in one game. They make $50 million a season and around $5-6 million dollars in one game. These colleges that are making around 39-10 million just in advertising alone! College coaches get 5 million dollars alone. These colleges are being very greedy with their money they can give just a slight little sliver to the players. Benefiting the college athletes is the best way to grow the school. Growing the population of a school is the best thing you can do for a city or whatever the people are living in. We will write a custom essay sample on Derek Jeter or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Growing the population of anything increases the way the sport will function the sport and benefit the sport. More students in the school the better the chance to find the players and athletes that you want. Colleges make too much money, Texas Longhorns made $50 million dollars in the bowl in 2011 (Evasive).When college athletes are getting paid for their action they want to play harder. When you have college athletes play t their best of their ability they are more than likely to play in the pros and get drafted. College athletes are great people to look up to and need something to motivate them. Who would want to choose to play for the black market? Black market is not the way to go. When people are going behind the lines just to cheat on something that is not even important then it is not fair to the colleges, players, and coaches.While in an interview with ESP. Ben Cohen said The NCAA has created a black market. You can choose between the black market and fair market. It is not fair because then they are getting the best players UT of every state to come and play for them. Coaches use the money that they get each year from advertisements and games that they can and are able to buy these players to come and play for their college. The coaches that get away with this are more than likely to succeed in their particular sport. Integrity is everything in the sport world.When someone has integrity about their sport, and they win, they feel very much more accomplished then they would if they cheated and chose the black market the get their most talented players. When colleges have the money to spend on their field when they dont really deed it, it just throws away the money that the school earns, for example. College coaches get millions of dollars like I have said earlier to coach these miracle teams. They are getting paid just as much as a professional athlete that sits the bench. That is a ridicules amount of money that these COLLEGE coaches get.The coaches that coach these teams are very well trained and very talented on their coaching. When you get a coach that can do is job really well and can contribute to the team. Have a coach that can teach sports how they are supposed to be taught their team will have great success . When allege coaching go out and scout people they look for the kids that will help out not only their team, but to contribute to the school. When a kid is very athletic and very educated they can contribute on and off the field and thats the type of kid that they need for the school.

Study of Osmosis in Living Plant Tissue free essay sample

Objective: To study osmosis in living plant tissue. Biological principles: Water potential is the tendency for water molecules to enter or leave a system by osmosis through a differentially permeable membrane, while osmosis is the process in which water molecules move passively from a region of higher water potential to a region of lower water potential through a differentially permeable membrane. Therefore, potato cells, with their differentially permeable membrane, are selected as the medium for studying osmosis in this experiment.In this experiment, strips are cut from the same potato and placed in sucrose solutions with different concentrations to see if there are any changes in term of weight. Different concentration of sucrose solution is the independent variable while the volume and length of each potato strip and the amount of sucrose solution used are the control variables which should be kept constant. The dependent variable is the percentage change in weight of the potato strips. We will write a custom essay sample on Study of Osmosis in Living Plant Tissue or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In addition, it is assumed that the nutrient content of the potato is evenly distributed and all the potato cells are fresh and alive.Apparatus and materials: Refer to the lab menu Procedure: Refer to lab menu Discussion: The potato strips put in distilled water became heavier. This was because distilled water was hypotonic to the potato tissue, so that there was a net movement of water into the cell by osmosis. The weight of potato strips put in 10% sucrose solution increased only slightly because 10% sucrose solution was also hypotonic to the potato tissue, however the water potential difference between the sucrose solution and potato tissue was small. The potato strips put in 20% sucrose solution was hypertonic to the potato tissue. Therefore, more water molecules leaving the tissue resulted in a net movement of water out of the cell by osmosis. The accuracy of the result might be reduced by the errors made during the experiment. For example, the impermeable potato skin might not be totally peeled off which reduced the surface area and hence the efficiency of osmosis taking place on the potato strips. Besides, evaporation of water from the beaker set-up decreased water potential of the solution. Moreover, the reading of the potato weight from the electronic balance might not be precise enough to show the small difference in weight between different strips.Several improvements can be made to reduce the influence of the errors. First, it should be ensured that all skin is peeled off from the potato before immersion. Secondary, a plastic food wrap should be used to cover the beaker in order to prevent water vapour from escaping from the set-up. Thirdly, for the error caused by electronic balance, it is suggested to use a more accurate balance with more decimal places so as to measure the weight more accurately. Conclusion: Living plant tissues are differentially permeable. When living plant tissues are placed in solutions with different water potential, osmosis takes place.

The Moral Principles of Premarital Sex free essay sample

Having strong parental influence can also strongly affect the outcomes of adolescence and causal sex. Additionally, marriage can be vulnerable to the actions of premarital sex, which can lead to disruption or divorce. Casual sex is a way people use one another as mere objects and to satisfy one’s sexual desires leading to a loss of commitment. Casual sex is defined as having more of a focus on physical satisfaction then emotional and lacking a sense of commitment. It can also be an agreement with a stranger or other partners that lasts for a long period of time (â€Å"Casual Sex,† 2011). The average age of the first sexual encounter is at 17. 7 years according to Hyde (2005). The first sexual experience is extremely meaningful and sexual expression can be molded based on experience. Traditional thinking of sex has become rare, less favored and not socially accepted. Attitudes in society have changed, making sex more popular and less condemned (Martin, 2003). We will write a custom essay sample on The Moral Principles of Premarital Sex or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Guilt and anger are often side effects of casual sex, along with a loss of commitment for long term relationships, marriage often being disrupted, leading to the conclusion premarital sex is not appropriate in any means and should not be practiced. American adults who said casual sex was wrong as concluded to 75% or the population in 1969. In the 1980’s, 33-37% of American adults said premarital sex was wrong decreasing by about 40%. These changes in the American society have occurred because of the replacement of conservative generations from the early 20th century to a more liberal generation later the century. The fluctuations of opinion are also due to the age and cultural changes of each generation, altering the views of people at the same time (Harding amp; Jencks, 2003). The traditional teachings of Christianity were no longer consistent with the people’s belief in America by this time and it is possible the relationship between these beliefs and religious views changed over time (Petersen amp; Donnenwerth, 1997). This common acceptance of   premarital sex that is occurring still has the underlying issue of whether it is, in fact, ethically moral to participate in casual sex and the effects among women and men. Do Men’s and Women’s Effects Differ? According to Else-Quest, Hyde, and DeLamater, men are more likely to have casual sex to obtain physical satisfaction while women are more likely to do it for intimacy and to enhance the relationship (2005). Men and women may experience sexual activity differently because of the differences in their scripts, which are learned strategies about sex. Men’s sexuality tends to not be subjected to relationship factors resulting in a difference in experience by both genders. Some argue that these sexual experiences are important for person’s sexual scripts to develop because it allows them to organize the order of sexual acts and learn the appropriate responses and behaviors. But these scripts that are argued as allowing casual sex to continue, do not always produce positive outcomes. Over time, guilt can arise as a result of a miserable experience and could grow into sexual dysfunction with long-term effects. It is more likely for women in this society to develop guilt because of seeing casual sex equaling love. But again it has been shown that guilt, tension, lack or respect, and embarrassment follows the action of casual sex (â€Å"Premarital sex,: 2002-2012). Hence, even if there may be a motivation for casual sex because of developing one’s script or fulfilling a man’s physical satisfaction and a women’s intimacy in a relationship, there are the same emotional effects and negative outcomes that result from taking part in premarital sex.An action that was morally right would not have egative emotional and psychological consequences, which would conclude casual sex was not intended to be done before marriage. There is also another consequence for participating in casual sex such as disturbance in later marriage. Sexual scripts can be written prior to marriage, providing knowledge about their own abilities, leading to a stable marriage because they may be able to make more informed choices concerning marriage. It is also very likely for someone to misunderstand physica l intimacy with emotional potential, leading to disruption in marriage and make worse marital choices (Kahn, London, 1991). How is Marriage Effected? In today’s society, adolescents have a positive opinion about cohabitation before marriage. The view of marriage as an institution has faded and cohabitation has taken a new part of this culture (Martin, Specter, Martin, amp; Martin, 2003). It has often been questioned whether or not premarital sexual activity causes marriages to be disrupted. According to Teachman, Premarital sex and cohabitation has not been found to be connected to marital disruption if limited to a woman’s husband (2003). But Kahn and London refute this.

The NYS Prison System

The NYS Prison System Free Online Research Papers The New York State prison system till this day continues to be one of the most popular prison systems in our country. New York State’s prison system consists of many different prisons and departments located all around the state of New York. New York State prisons have a lot of history throughout the years. The current commissioner of the correctional facilities that governs the prison system is Brian Fischer. Some notable prisons in the New York prison system are Sing Sing and Attica. Overview The New York prison system is one of the most known prison systems in the United States. It is currently the fourth largest prison system in the United States. According to the NYS Department of Correctional Services, the New York adult prison system currently houses and habilitates 62,500 inmates this number is good considering a drop of 9,000 inmates in the last eight years. The correctional service in New York employs over 31,300 employees including over 23,000 uniformed correctional officers in their system. New York currently has over 69 correctional facilities in the state. There are over 17 maximum security facilities, 37 medium security facilities, 13 minimum security facilities, 3 minimum security camp facilities and 1 drug treatment campus facility. The State of New York offers programs for their inmates stationed at various prisons. They offer such jobs as correctional industries, working on such jobs as manufacturing within the prison. These jobs include license plate sh ops, upholstery shops and printing plants. Other programs that NYS prisons offer are education programs in academics and vocational, guidance and counseling, substance abuse treatment services, temporary release programs and transitional service programs. (docs.state.ny.us/docs.html) Departmental Mission The New York State Correctional System has many visions, goals, values and policies that apply to all of their prison and correctional facilities. The mission statement for the NYS Correctional Services is â€Å"Enhance public safety by providing appropriate treatment services, in safe and secure facilities, that address the needs of all inmates so they can return to their communities better prepared to lead successful and crime-free lives.†(docs.state.ny.us/docs.html) The main vision in which the correctional facilities in NYS go by is â€Å"enhance public safety by having incarcerated persons return home less likely to revert to criminal behavior.†(docs.state.ny.us/docs.html) The NYS Department of Correctional Services has many goals that it sets out to accomplish in operating its facilities. They want to â€Å"Create and maintain an atmosphere where both inmates and staff feel secure. Develop and implement positive individualized treatment plans for each inmate. Tea ch inmates the need for discipline and respect, and the importance of a mature understanding of a work ethic. Assist staff by providing the training and tools needed to perform their duties while enhancing their skills. Offer career development opportunities for all staff.† (docs.state.ny.us/docs.html) The NYS Department of Correctional Services also has values that they want to operate by like â€Å"Operate with ethical behavior. Recognize the value of each person. Protect human dignity. Offer leadership and support to all. Offer respect and structure at all times.† (docs.state.ny.us/docs.html) Certain policies that the Department of Correctional Services follows in NYS are â€Å"Offer opportunities for inmates to improve all their skills, and to receive individual treatment services, based on their ability and willingness to participate. Provide appropriate medical and psychiatric services necessary to those requiring such treatment so each inmate can maximize his/he r own rehabilitation. Enhance positive relationships by providing opportunities for interaction between inmates and their families. Establish a structured environment that fosters respect through disciplined learning.† (docs.state.ny.us/docs.html) Brief History The New York adult prison system has a lot of history behind it. The creation of the adult prison system in NYS dates all the way back to 1797 when Newgate Prison opened in Greenwich Village, 17 years later Auburn state prison was built being the second prison built. In 1825 Sing Sing was built on the Hudson River, just north of New York City and following this the creation of Clinton prison was formed. More and more prisons were built around New York due to the problem of crime and overcrowding. With these issues came into play the change of architecture of bigger prisons. Many new improvements followed thereafter. â€Å"The major improvements in the construction of prisons were the introduction of escape-proof cells and unbreakable toilets and wash basins. This escalating process of constructing ever more secure prisons reached its pinnacle in 1931, when the most secure, escape-proof prison ever built opened in the little upstate village of Attica, New York. With such dedication poured into its construction, Attica was, at the time, the most expensive prison ever built. Construction had begun in 1929 and continued into the early years of the Depression. Over one hundred years had passed since inmates from Auburn had gone to work to build Sing Sing. In the spring of 1930, the scene was repeated; inmates from Auburn were transported to Attica to assist in construction.† (correctionhistory.org/html/chronicl/state/html/nyprisons2.html) In the later years prisons in NYS began to offer many programs to their inmates. â€Å"Effective January 1, 1971, the states complex of adult correctional facilities was reorganized as the Department of Correctional Services. Nine months later, the most severe prison riot in American history broke out at Attica Correctional Facility. A searching reexamination of correctional practices resulted in a heightened emphasis on educational and other rehabilitative programs including work release.† (correctionhistory.org/html/museum/docsroom/docsmuseum.html) Training for Prison Officers in NYS The first basic training for officers in NYS occurred in the 1930s on maximum security prison sites. â€Å"In 1936, the Department opened the Central Guard School for newly recruited officers at Wallkill Prison. Wartime restrictions and manpower shortages ended Guard School operations in 1942. It was not until 1965 that centralized recruit training was resumed, this time on the grounds of Matteawan State Hospital (now Fishkill Correctional Facility) in Beacon. The Beacon Academy offered a three-week training program for correction officers. In 1973, the DOCS leased the Mater Christi Seminary from the Diocese of Albany and established its current Training Academy there. The property was purchased by New York State in 1987.† (correctionhistory.org/html/museum/docsroom/docsmuseum.html) Currently the academy annually gives out two million hours of professional training in lecture training and on hands training. (correctionhistory.org/html/museum/docsroom/docsmuseum.html) Reaction I believe that the New York State prison system is a very complex system. From articles and research done throughout the writing of my paper I have found out that New York State prisons have always had a problem with overcrowding in their prisons. They have also been faced with problems of budgeting because of the issue of overcrowding. I think that New York State although being a fairly large state and having a fairly high crime rate should look into ways into making their prison systems more of a learning experience to their inmates. So far I think that they are doing a fairly good job in having resources available to their inmates. I think that that is the most important thing in the prison system especially in New York with their overcrowding. I think that the price of having an inmate be released into the world and then recidivate making them go through the whole process of being tried with the courts and then housing them in prison for another sentence, is more costly in my opi nion than having programs for them to learn and counseling to make them a better individual to be released into the world again. New York in my opinion does a god job but you could always do better. References CORRECTIONS MUSEUM. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2009, from correctionhistory.org/html/museum/docsroom/docsmuseum.html Evolution of NYs Prison System Part 2. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2009, from correctionhistory.org/html/chronicl/state/html/nyprisons2.html NYS Department of Correctional Services. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2009, from docs.state.ny.us/docs.html New York State Department of Correctional Services Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Department_of_Correctional_Services Seiter, R. P. (2007). Corrections: An Introduction (2nd Edition). Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall. Research Papers on The NYS Prison SystemCapital PunishmentNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceOpen Architechture a white paperThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationPETSTEL analysis of IndiaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesTwilight of the UAWArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Project Managment Office System

Free Essays on An Influential Personevent

An influential Personevent It seemed like it would make her die, just speaking it. So I didn’t tell anyone, not even my best friends. At school I would slip into a fantastical dreamland, nobody there knew that I should be troubled, pensive. I put on my best front and paraded around the school halls with some sort of smile plastered on my face. At lunchtime I’d stare at my food thinking that my friends should know. I thought of a million different ways to tell them. Each time that I came close to telling them, I would think about their potential reactions. There would be the normal lunchtime banter going on, complaints about the ranch dressing, and I would blurt out, "Hey guys, my mom has breast cancer." The whole cafeteria would turn silent and the plastic forks would drop from their hands, making a sad little clinking noise. Then I would stare at my food mentally kicking myself for having opened my mouth. I chose to say nothing. I remember very clearly the day that I went to go sit with her whil e she got her chemotherapy. I only did this once because it was too hard for me. I walked down an overly-lit sterile hallway trailing behind my dad. When we reached her room I wished that I could just keep walking, pretend I hadn’t seen her. I went in and sat down. Her shirt was partially unbuttoned so that the IV could be inserted into the porto-cath surgically implanted under her collarbone. She was hooked up to three different kinds of poisons, and one normal IV. There were some knitting things spread across her lap and the ever present bag of lemon drops was faithfully at her side. Her head was laid back in the chair, she was tired. She and my dad tried to involve me in some nice chit-chat, I met and shook hands with the doctors and nurses, "It’s nice to meet you Dr. McCoy." Yeah right. They complimented her on what a beautiful daughter she had. I blushed, smiled politely then excused myself to the bathroom. I wiped away my for... Free Essays on An Influential Personevent Free Essays on An Influential Personevent An influential Personevent It seemed like it would make her die, just speaking it. So I didn’t tell anyone, not even my best friends. At school I would slip into a fantastical dreamland, nobody there knew that I should be troubled, pensive. I put on my best front and paraded around the school halls with some sort of smile plastered on my face. At lunchtime I’d stare at my food thinking that my friends should know. I thought of a million different ways to tell them. Each time that I came close to telling them, I would think about their potential reactions. There would be the normal lunchtime banter going on, complaints about the ranch dressing, and I would blurt out, "Hey guys, my mom has breast cancer." The whole cafeteria would turn silent and the plastic forks would drop from their hands, making a sad little clinking noise. Then I would stare at my food mentally kicking myself for having opened my mouth. I chose to say nothing. I remember very clearly the day that I went to go sit with her whil e she got her chemotherapy. I only did this once because it was too hard for me. I walked down an overly-lit sterile hallway trailing behind my dad. When we reached her room I wished that I could just keep walking, pretend I hadn’t seen her. I went in and sat down. Her shirt was partially unbuttoned so that the IV could be inserted into the porto-cath surgically implanted under her collarbone. She was hooked up to three different kinds of poisons, and one normal IV. There were some knitting things spread across her lap and the ever present bag of lemon drops was faithfully at her side. Her head was laid back in the chair, she was tired. She and my dad tried to involve me in some nice chit-chat, I met and shook hands with the doctors and nurses, "It’s nice to meet you Dr. McCoy." Yeah right. They complimented her on what a beautiful daughter she had. I blushed, smiled politely then excused myself to the bathroom. I wiped away my for...

What you need to know about medical student mentors

What you need to know about medical student mentors No matter what field you’re in, mentorship is one of the most important factors in your early career. A study of private sector mentorship shows that mentorship (having junior employees develop a professional relationship with more senior employees) is a crucial way to develop employees and build leadership skills. And when you’re in a highly specialized, high-pressure field like medicine, that mentorship becomes even more valuable. What does a mentor do?Med school will teach you what you need to know about the science and practice of medicine. It teaches you the theory, the ins and outs, the blood and guts. That part doesn’t change, whether you have a mentor or not. What a medical mentor does is offer you the practical side of that knowledge- someone who’s been where you are now, showing you what it’s like to put your education into everyday use.A mentor can help you with those transitional steps between med school and full-fledged practice, talkin g you through applying for jobs, preparing for residency interviews, dealing with the stress of the job, dealing with setbacks in med school and out in the field, and helping you find your specialty. A mentor may be a cheerleader- but more importantly, he or she is someone who has your professional interests at heart and wants to help you build a successful medical career. That may involve some tough talk or recommendations that aren’t easy, but are necessary.Why you need a mentorNo one transitions from school to career without loads of questions. What do I do next? Am I doing this too early/too late? What if I fail a class? What is it going to be like once I graduate? And sure, you can probably cobble that information together from the Internet. But don’t discount the benefits that come from a face-to-face (or voice-to-voice) relationship with someone who already has that knowledge. School can feel isolating, especially as you start to make Big Deal career decisions, so having a go-to relationship where you can ask questions and get honest real-world feedback is extremely helpful.As you make choices about your future career, you want to make sure you’re making informed ones. Having a source of feedback and help can prevent you from making those decisions in a vacuum and then coming to regret them later. Having someone to say, â€Å"Look, here are some hard lessons I learned when I chose to become an internist,† is a major asset if you’re thinking about going down that path, as well.How to get startedIf you’re a med student, you can always try to match to a doctor in your field of interest to act as a mentor. But don’t discount other health professionals who can provide that essential perspective. For example, nurses are in the trenches with doctors and are responsible for providing much of the direct patient care. They can provide precious insight into what it’s like to work with patients, what you can e xpect to see every day, and how to do basic and essential procedures. They also work closely with physicians and very likely have a solid perspective on what makes a good doctor vs. a not-great doctor. If you’re looking for guidance on the practical aspects of the job, you want it from someone who does it (and does it well) day in and day out, regardless of the degree that person has.If you want someone to help you with some of the more administrative aspects of being a doctor (like passing exams, the application process, interviews), then you’ll want someone who’s been there- a physician or an administrator. Keep in mind that you’re not limited to just one mentor throughout your career; you can get super-valuable help from different people on different career aspects.Your mentor can be someone you shadow in the workplace, but don’t feel confined to that box or to your own residency program, if you’ve already started one. Your mentor could b e someone you consult on the phone or via email/chat/FaceTime/your preferred digital platform.If you’re interested in finding a mentor and role model, there’s no time like med school to get that started. That’s not to say that you can’t find one later when you’re already settled in a residency or other job and a great mentoring opportunity presents itself. But like just about all career planning, it’s best to start as early as you can. Things aren’t going to get any easier as you prepare to graduate, and this special kind of networking is best done when you have time to develop a relationship with your mentor.How to find the right mentorLike any kind of networking, the place to start is thinking about who you know already. You can ask your faculty advisor if they know anyone who might be a good fit for the kind of mentor you need. There’s also good old online research, if you’re looking for a very specific type of mentor . And if you’re feeling truly stuck on how to get the mentor-mentee process underway, the American College of Physicians (ACP) has a mentor matchmaking database that you can register to use.Know what you want in a mentor. Do you want someone with a particular research interest? Someone with specific technical expertise? Do you want to know what the everyday life is like for a thoracic surgeon? Before you start reaching out, know what you want to get out of the relationship.Make sure you’re asking the right questions. Think of it like an interview for your mentor (though obviously, be respectful of their authority in the field and the time they’re taking to speak with you). But in the course of conversation (or in email), feel free to ask them questions like how they chose their specialty, what brought them to medicine, what their own goals were when they were in your position, and what their biggest professional challenges have been. Come up with a list of quest ions in advance before you talk to your potential mentor.Keep an open mind. You may find that a potential mentor is great at talking you through exam prep, but not great at helping you find job openings. Or she can offer brilliant insight on research, but not necessarily the day-to-day questions you have. There’s no reason you can’t build relationships with different mentors for different parts of your career- and again, don’t forget to consider people who might be nurses, administrators, or other non-physicians who could bring different perspectives to your career.Once you’ve found the mentor (or mentors) of your professional dreams, make sure you take care to keep the relationship going- even after you’re no longer a student/newbie. You never know when those professional connections will come in handy. And then the day may come when you find yourself ready to take on a mentee of your own.