GoSponsor…Us: Going beyond mentoring for women in paramedicine

Mentoring and sponsorship are essential components in the professional development of both men and women. These types of relationships often form between individuals who have common interests, or when the junior member reminds the more senior member of themselves. In paramedicine, the number of men in leadership positions usually leads to the mentorship and sponsorship of junior men. It can be the case that junior women find it difficult to find similar levels of personal and career support since there are fewer women in paramedic leadership positions. The literature demonstrates that women are over-mentored and under-sponsored.(1) But what exactly does that mean? Are these not the same thing?