Association of Health Facilities Survey Agencies

State Agency Mentor Program

The Association of Health Facilities Survey Agencies (AHFSA) offers the opportunity for a new or relative inexperienced state survey agency (SA) director to partner with a more experienced or seasoned director to acclimate themselves to their duties as a new Director.  The SA Director’s role is critical to overseeing the State’s contract and partnership with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).  As the level of complexity of the SA Director duties increase, including elevated expectations of the position, AHFSAs goal in providing the SA Director Mentor Program is to ensure that inexperienced directors familiarize themselves with some of their major responsibilities and the tremendous role they play in assuring the health, safety and welfare of citizens in their states who access services provided by regulated care providers.  Partnering with a seasoned director will enhance their ability to understand all the complexities of their new role; seek advice on how to handle situations that may have already been encountered by experienced directors; understand the relationship with the federal government; comprehend CMS budgeting process and manage resources provided by CMS; and a host of other areas that are critical to the successful transition to the SA Director role.

Qualifications to serve as Mentor

• Minimum 5 years of experience in the State Survey Agency as Director, Deputy SA Director or Program Manager.
• Has served on the AFHSA Board either as an Elected Official or as a Regional Representative.

Duties of the Mentor

• Mentor must make initial contact with protègè within one week of assignment.
• Conduct scheduled monthly call with mentee. Example: Mentors must communicate with protégé at least once every two weeks.
• Attend, when available, regional AHFSA meetings.
• In working with the protégé, develop a list of critical areas that the protégé must understand in their role as the SA Director, Deputy Director or Program Manager.
• Discuss professional development areas/checklists that will be of benefit to the protégé in their new role.

• Establish specific mentor activities and guidelines with the protégé to better understand critical protégé needs. Have a mentor and the protégé agree on expectations up front, including how long the mentoring will last.
• Encourage protégé to work together on an individualized development plan as a mentoring activity.
• If an existing AHFSA Board Member, invite protégé to accompany Mentor during AHFSA meetings attended by both Mentor and Protégé.

Duties of the Protègès

• Clearly discuss with Mentor why you are interested and the areas on which you would like more consultation with the Mentor
• Protègès should keep a mentor program journal.
• Ask many, many questions.
• Attend or participate in AHFSA quarterly board/membership meetings or Annual AHFSA Conference.

Closure of Mentoring Relationship

It is important to acknowledge that when no additional benefit can be experienced by the protégé, the relationship should end with a successful termination of the mentoring relationship.

• Both protégé and mentor will agree, verbally or in writing, when mentoring is no longer necessary.
• Notification should be made by Mentor to AHFSA Board when mentoring has ceased.