The first board meeting can be intimidating for new trustees as they sift through what might seem like a mountain of unfamiliar information. To alleviate their concerns and to assist them, Jupiter Medical Center (JMC) in Jupiter, Fla., began a mentoring program more than eight years ago. The program is designed to educate new trustees about how the hospital operates. It also serves as one of several methods the organization uses to provide pertinent information to new board members, enabling them to participate in board discussions more confidently and make more informed decisions.

Because board members have diverse backgrounds, it’s important that those who have no experience in health care immerse themselves in the field so they’ll be prepared to ask the CEO and management team the tough questions that are the hallmark of good governance. JMC’s mentorship program, which pairs new trustees with veteran members, has proven to be effective in preparing “freshmen” trustees for board service during their first year. Each mentorship team is unique. The most successful ones put the most effort into the process, meeting frequently to ensure that all of the new board member’s questions get answered. For example, new trustees usually want to know about hospital projects currently underway and how they are funded.

JMC is in the midst of a major, multiyear growth plan. Consequently, our mentoring program is more important than ever because the organization needs the board to oversee the plan’s progress aggressively. The board has also experienced recent changes in its own structure. It recruited five new members, and over seven years, downsized from 20 to 15 members. Additionally, JMC recently transitioned to self-management, ending a relationship with the hospital management firm that had been in place for several years.

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