How Mentor Identity Evolves: Findings From a 10-Year Follow-up Study of a National Professional Development Program

Utilizing Complexity Leadership Theory to Promote Faculty Mentorship and Resident Leadership

OBJECTIVE

To create and evaluate a structured combined faculty mentorship/resident leadership program based on complexity leadership theory.

DESIGN

In 2021, a logic model was used to create a 5 part bi-monthly resident leadership series utilizing administrative, adaptive, and enabling components of complexity leadership theory. Each of the 5 sessions had a nationally prominent senior faculty member mentor 3 junior faculty in creation of an interactive workshop that was delivered to resident physicians during scheduled didactics. Validated surveys were used to assess faculty post-mentorship experience and resident self-perception of leadership skills pre-and post-series. Descriptive statistics and 2-way ANOVA were performed; text comments underwent content analysis.

SETTING

A large academic OB/GYN department at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

PARTICIPANTS

Five faculty mentors, 15 junior faculty, and 48 residents participated in this program. All faculty mentors (5/5) and 87% (13/15) of mentees completed the post-mentorship survey. Resident response rate was 60% (29/48) pre-series and 63% (30/48) post-series.

RESULTS

Both mentors and mentees rated the experience favorably (4.62 versus 5.29, p = 0.51). In open-ended comments, enabling components of mentorship process, such as approachability and expertise of the mentors, were most often noted as positive. Both mentees and mentors suggested administrative changes to the experience, such as longitudinal relationships between mentors and mentees. The mean score on the resident leadership questionnaire improved from 3.82 to 3.96 (5-point Likert scale, p = 0.30) with self-reported leadership skills improving in 8/9 domains, although none reaching statistical significance. Open-ended comments revealed that residents also most desired administrative changes in the leadership series, such as increased leadership opportunities and more interactive workshops.

CONCLUSIONS

A structured combined faculty mentorship/resident leadership program formed utilizing complexity leadership theory was positively received. Participants most liked the enabling components of the series, with requested administrative changes in the future.

Advancing the Science of Mentorship: Future Directions for Sustainable Implementation and Evaluation of Mentorship Education for the Clinical and Translational Science Workforce

The Advancing the Science of Mentorship: Future Directions for Sustainable Implementation and Evaluation of Mentorship Education for the Clinical and Translational Science Workforce conference was held in Madison, Wisconsin, in April 2023. The conference provided an engaging and scholarly forum for clinical and translational researchers from diverse backgrounds and career stages (including leaders at Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) hubs and affiliated institutions) with a professional interest and commitment to improving and diversifying workforce development and fostering a climate of inclusive excellence through best practices in mentorship. Outcomes from the conference include an online resource and a new Community of Practice.

Defining Their Own Success: Scholars' Views After a Faculty Development Program

OBJECTIVE

Educator roles in medicine are expanding yet career paths and definitions of successful careers are not uniformly agreed upon. Educator success from their own perspective has not been broadly explored as these studies usually occur from the institutional or organizational viewpoint. This study examined the impact of a national educational faculty development program (FDP) for academic pediatricians on educators' self-description of their own professional and personal success.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional, qualitative study of FDP alumni between 2019-2021. Interviews explored participants perspectives on their professional success, and supports and barriers. Using an iterative process, thematic analysis of the data identified 6 themes.

RESULTS

Fourteen scholars were interviewed. All felt they were successful citing both outcome and impact measures categorized into 6 themes: personal attributes, adequate resources and barriers, foundational skill development, experiencing strong mentoring and networking, engaging, and being connected to a community of practice and self-identifying as a medical educator. To view the data holistically, a model incorporating 3 frameworks was developed.

CONCLUSIONS

These educators viewed themselves as successful academic educators. While papers, promotions and positions were important, educators viewed impact in mentoring and collaborations with others, along with acquired expertise and an expanded viewpoint of the field and themselves as equally important. Educators and leaders could use these elements for their own self-assessment and support, FDP development and enhancement, and for investment in programs and faculty educators.

Mentoring is in the 'I' of the beholder: supporting mentors in reflecting on their actual and preferred way of mentoring

BACKGROUND

An important strategy to support the professional development of mentors in health professions education is to encourage critical reflection on what they do, why they do it, and how they do it. Not only the 'how' of mentoring should be covered, but also the implicit knowledge and beliefs fundamental to the mentoring practice (a mentor's personal interpretative framework). This study analyzed the extent to which mentors perceive a difference between how they actually mentor and how they prefer to mentor.

METHODS

The MERIT (MEntor Reflection InstrumenT) survey (distributed in 2020, N = 228), was used to ask mentors about the how, what, and why of their mentoring in two response modes: (1) regarding their actual mentoring practice and (2) regarding their preferred mentoring practice. With an analysis of covariance, it was explored whether potential discrepancies between these responses were influenced by experience, profession of the mentor, and curriculum-bound assessment requirements.

RESULTS

The averaged total MERIT score and averaged scores for the subscales 'Supporting Personal Development' and 'Monitoring Performance' were significantly higher for preferred than for actual mentoring. In addition, mentors' experience interacted significantly with these scores, such that the difference between actual and preferred scores became smaller with more years of experience.

CONCLUSIONS

Mentors can reflect on their actual and preferred approach to mentoring. This analysis and the potential discrepancy between actual and preferred mentoring can serve as input for individual professional development trajectories.

Leadership role and professional development of technology

The Covid-19 pandemic has indeed driven educational technology to the next higher level, especially in faculty teaching and research. There is an increasing need for faculty to embrace new technology, especially with the emergence of new normal in both teaching, learning, and research. To become conversant with the technologies, educators need opportunities for professional development. And to continue to be involved with new and evolving technologies in education, faculty members seek leadership and support. This study was carried out to investigate the leadership role in the professional development of technology in the educational delivery system of Nigerian universities. The study adopted a qualitative approach. This qualitative study randomly selected a convenience sample of 100 faculty and administrators in the faculty of education of 12 universities in Nigeria. Using focus-group discussion sessions, interviews, the researchers met with 100 participants in groups of 3 to 15 each session. Data were transcribed and entered into a database for analysis. The leadership role of faculty members, technology specialists, policy, support, and infrastructure were discussed. The study shows that to help faculty members lead the way in investigating, integrating, and evaluating technologies, faculty members need policies and leadership support, equitable access to technology, support, professional development, and recognition.

A scoping review of peer mentoring in medicine

BACKGROUND

While studies have demonstrated the benefits of mentoring between junior and senior faculty, the dearth of senior mentors remains a challenge. Peer mentoring arose out of scarcity by creating communities among faculty at similar stages. Although demonstrative studies abound, no synthesis of the literature exists to characterise programme structure, content and impact on faculty.

METHODS

We conducted a scoping review of peer mentoring programmes for faculty in academic medicine. We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and ERIC for studies of peer mentoring programmes. Two authors independently reviewed the articles and extracted data.

FINDINGS

We reviewed the titles and abstracts of 1513 studies, 75 full-text articles, and selected 19 studies for our review. About half of peer mentoring programmes were department-sponsored. The overall size varied from 3 to 104 participants; most were organised into small groups and met monthly. Fifty-eight percent included a didactic curriculum. Several studies showed an increase in publications, grant funding, retention rates and promotion, in addition to increased personal satisfaction. Qualitative data demonstrated themes of collaboration and mutual support.

DISCUSSION

Programme outcomes were invariably positive with respect to participant satisfaction, and additionally, some studies showed an increase in publications, grant funding, retention rates and promotion. Camaraderie emerged as a strong theme in the programmes.

CONCLUSIONS

This scoping review of peer mentoring programmes can guide institutions in their efforts to create similar initiatives.

Integrating Graduates of a National Faculty Development Program Into a Community of Practice

PURPOSE

The Educational Scholars Program (ESP) started as a national 3-year faculty development (FD) program for pediatric educators. Fourteen years later, the ESP has grown into a larger community of practice (CoP). The purpose of this study was to identify programmatic processes that serve as bridges or barriers to integrating ESP graduates into the CoP.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was sent to 126 ESP graduates. Based on their self-reported level of engagement, graduates were categorized into 4 groups: Core, Active, Peripheral, and Outsider groups. Factors contributing to engagement with the ESP community, and the impact of varying levels of engagement on outcomes related to the organization and the graduate were ascertained.

RESULTS

Half of the ESP graduates completed the survey. Thirty-five percent of the respondents were in the Core or Active groups. Almost all ESP graduates in the Core and Active groups felt a sense of belonging to the ESP community. Opportunities provided to network, collaborate, and receive mentorship were reported as highly significant influences on their decision to remain engaged.

CONCLUSION

Purposeful integration of graduates of an FD program within a CoP, by allowing varying levels of involvement, enhances engagement within the CoP.

Vice Chair for Education: Twelve Roles to Provide a Framework for Success

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

An increase in the administrative work in our healthcare system has led to an increase in the number of administrative positions in radiology departments. Many of these are Vice Chair roles, including Vice Chair for Education (VCEd). The responsibility of this position has expanded, often far beyond the original definition. This article defines the role and expectations of the Vice Chair for Education and provides suggestions for success.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This article will review 12 vital roles that a Vice Chair for Education must play to be an effective advocate for radiology education within a department.

RESULTS

Key attributes of an educational leader are delineated, divided into 12 areas or roles.

CONCLUSION

This article summarizes key leadership skills needed by Vice Chairs for Education in order for them to be effective in their role.

Experiential Learning in Project-Based Quality Improvement Education: Questioning Assumptions and Identifying Future Directions

PURPOSE

Project-based experiential learning is a defining element of quality improvement (QI) education despite ongoing challenges and uncertainties. The authors examined stakeholders' perceptions and experiences of QI project-based learning to increase understanding of factors that influence learning and project experiences.

METHOD

The authors used a case study approach to examine QI project-based learning in 3 advanced longitudinal QI programs, 2 at the University of Toronto and 1 at an academic tertiary-care hospital. From March 2016 to June 2017, they undertook 135 hours of education program observation and 58 interviews with learners, program directors, project coaches, and institutional leaders and reviewed relevant documents. They analyzed data using a conventional and directed data analysis approach.

RESULTS

The findings provide insight into 5 key factors that influenced participants' project-based learning experiences and outcomes: (1) variable emphasis on learning versus project objectives and resulting benefits, tensions, and consequences; (2) challenges integrating the QI project into the curriculum timeline; (3) project coaching factors (e.g., ability, capacity, role clarity); (4) participants' differing access to resources and ability to direct a QI project given their professional roles; and (5) workplace environment influence on project success.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings contribute to an empirical basis toward more effective experiential learning in QI by identifying factors to target and optimize. Expanding conceptualizations of project-based learning for QI education beyond learner-initiated, time-bound projects, which are at the core of many QI educational initiatives, may be necessary to improve learning and project outcomes.

Mentors' Beliefs About Their Roles in Health Care Education: A Qualitative Study of Mentors' Personal Interpretative Framework

PURPOSE

How mentors shape their mentoring is strongly influenced by their personal beliefs about the goals and purpose of mentoring, the possible activities associated with it, who decides on the focus of the mentoring relationship, and the strategies mentors choose to enact these beliefs in practice. In accordance with the personal interpretative framework, the authors operationalized mentors' beliefs as professional self-understanding (the what) and subjective educational theory (the how) of teaching and sought to identify different mentoring positions.

METHOD

Using a qualitative approach, the authors conducted semistructured interviews between December 2017 and January 2018 with 18 undergraduate mentors from Maastricht University in Maastricht, the Netherlands. The aim of the interviews was to reconstruct their personal interpretative framework. Before building a general pattern of explanation in a cross-case analysis, the authors performed a within-case analysis of the data, analyzing individual mentors.

RESULTS

This approach resulted in the identification and description of 4 mentoring positions: the (1) facilitator (service providing and responsive), (2) coach (development supporting and responsive), (3) monitor (signaling and collaborative), and (4) exemplar (service providing or development supporting and directive). Each position represents a coherent pattern of normative beliefs about oneself as a mentor (professional self-understanding) and how to enact these beliefs in practice (subjective educational theory).

CONCLUSIONS

Awareness of their mentoring position can help mentors understand why they act the way they do in certain situations and how this behavior affects their mentees' learning and development. It can also help mentors identify personal learning needs and, consequently, provide opportunities for faculty development.