Senior Mentor Program
The Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine Senior Mentor program pairs healthy, community dwelling volunteers aged 65 and older with two medical students for a series of interactions that will help prepare them for encounters with their future patients. The program cultivates interpersonal skills to help students become more competent, confident, and compassionate physicians.
Mentors meet with their students three times each semester to discuss issues such as life history, medical history; stress, coping and social support; wellness; nutrition; and perspectives on end-of-life care. The two-semester program consists of a total of six, one-hour meetings.
The program is part of the medical students' curriculum, which includes service-learning activities, patient simulations and activities that foster an understanding of the patient and the community.
To volunteer to be a mentor, please click Apply to Be A Senior Mentor, below, and fill out the application. If you have questions, contact Brenda Calhoun at brenda.calhoun@okstate.edu or 918-561-8211.
Here are what some of our senior mentors have to say about our program:
- “I enjoyed being a part of the training to become a doctor. Your students have been so nice, so I enjoyed having them at my house. I feel like I played a small part in them becoming a doctor.”
- “I love getting to know the students personally and watching them change and develop their skills and knowledge. It’s fun to enlarge their view of what seniors can do and how we see the world.”
- “The students are so positive and upbeat! They give me confidence in the future.”
- “I look forward to each visit and try to help them to understand and relate to each topic which keeps me alert and informed.”