Does "coaching" someone through a learning situation sound interesting? Or does an "advisor/friend in the QA business" sound like someone you want to meet? Then the PRCSQA mentoring referral service may be for you. The PRCSQA Board has investigated establishing a mentor referral service for members, and is pleased to announce that an interest questionnaire will be distributed at the January, 1998, PRCSQA meeting in Reno, NV, and through the next edition of this newsletter.

Who should fill out the questionnaire? You should 1) if you are interested in mentoring another person or 2) if you are interested in having a mentor. The request for a mentor may be tailored to your specific area of responsibility, or it may be for the purpose of broadening your knowledge.

One or more members of the PRCSQA Board will screen, select, and propose a match between mentor/mentoree volunteers. A call will then be made to the mentor for approval of the pairing, and a call made to the mentoree.

The structure is up to the individuals in the team. Arrange times and methods of communicating that fit both parties. Typically, we anticipate e-mail or brief calls of ten to fifteen minutes, dealing with specific situations and questions as they arise.

PRCSQA cannot guarantee that correct answers and good advice will be given. What we hope to foster and encourage is a comfortable atmosphere where one QA can ask another his/her opinion, get a fresh perspective on how another interprets and applies regulations, and encourage personal and professional growth.

- Clifton Finley