Rules of engagement

Clear expectations, before and after the introduction.

Health Mentors is for adults 18 and older. You write one introduction and we deliver it to the mentor by email; any reply and the relationship that follows happen over regular email. These simple rules keep that exchange respectful, honest, and safe.

Conversations move off-platform.

Once you continue by email, Health Mentors can't see or moderate what's said. That keeps your relationship private — and it means the responsibility to keep it appropriate rests with both of you. If something feels wrong, stop, and report it. In immediate danger, call 911.

For everyone

  • Be truthful about your identity, experience, goals, and availability.
  • Keep messages professional and about health-care education or careers.
  • Never request money, gifts, secrecy, romantic or sexual contact, medical treatment, or private records.
  • Don't promise or expect guaranteed admission, employment, shadowing, or outcomes.
  • Either person may stop responding or end contact at any time, for any reason.

For mentees

  • Send one clear, specific introduction — what you're exploring and what you'd like to ask.
  • Respect a mentor's time and boundaries; a reply is a gift, not a guarantee.
  • Keep questions about the path, not personal medical advice.
  • Don't share sensitive personal or medical details you wouldn't want forwarded.

For mentors

  • Stay within your experience, and separate personal perspective from professional advice.
  • Don't diagnose, prescribe, or establish a clinical relationship.
  • Protect what a mentee shares and never redistribute their profile.
  • Turn off availability when you don't have capacity to respond.

A good first message

“Hi Dr. Lee — I'm a college sophomore considering emergency medicine. I'd love to hear how you chose EM and what you'd tell someone deciding between EM and family medicine. Thank you for any time you can share.”

What we'd flag

  • Asking for a diagnosis, prescription, or medical treatment.
  • Requesting money, gifts, or a guaranteed spot/shadowing/job.
  • Anything romantic, sexual, or asking to keep contact secret.

Reporting a concern

If a message or interaction breaks these rules, tell us through the contact page (choose “conduct”). We review reports and may pause or remove accounts. Health Mentors is not an emergency service — if you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local emergency number first.

Related: Terms · Privacy · Safety