The medical students' perspective of faculty and informal mentors: a questionnaire study

Medical Student Mentorship for Undergraduate Students Underrepresented in Medicine Improves Confidence and Knowledge About Medical School Application

Purpose Applying to medical school is accompanied by significant barriers to prospective applicants. Students who are underrepresented in medicine (URiM) may face additional barriers. We created a mentorship program to pair pre-medical URiM students with medical student mentors. The purpose of this study was to determine if providing mentorship and resources to URiM pre-medical students increased their knowledge and confidence regarding the medical school application process. Method A survey was emailed to mentees of the program to assess their knowledge and confidence about the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and medical school application before and after receiving mentorship. Wilcoxon-Signed-Rank tests were used for data analysis. Results A total of 28 participants completed the pilot study of which 17 gave qualitative feedback. Students reported feeling significantly more knowledgeable and confident after six months of enrollment on seven (77.8%) of the survey items. Respondents agreed that mentorship was the most valuable aspect of the program, with 13 (76.5%) respondents qualitatively endorsing the positive impact mentorship imparted to them. Conclusion Having a medical student mentor helped URiM pre-medical students feel more knowledgeable and confident about the medical school application process. By providing URiM students with additional resources, the diversity of future classes of physicians may improve and better mirror the populations they will serve.

Students' Perception of Servant Leadership by Physical Therapy Faculty Mentors Is Associated With Interprofessional Socialization

INTRODUCTION

Promoting interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) is necessary. Consequently, investigating strategies associated with increased interprofessional socialization, the beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes underlying socialization toward IPCP is suggested. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship, in the presence of control variables, between students' perception of servant leadership by physical therapy faculty mentors and interprofessional socialization.

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Although faculty mentors are associated with influencing students' socialization process and servant leadership is suggested to support collaborative care, investigations exploring these concepts within physical therapy education are limited.

SUBJECTS

Three cohorts of students (60 each) at an entry-level physical therapist education program in the Midwest of the United States. One hundred seventy individuals completed an anonymous paper-based composite survey, with 117 identifying the presence of an informal physical therapy faculty mentor.

METHODS

This cross-sectional survey study, inclusive of student demographic control variables, examined the relationship between interprofessional socialization and perceptions of physical therapy faculty mentors, as measured by the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS-21) and the Servant Leadership Measure (SL-7), respectively. Multiple linear regression was used to obtain the semi-partial correlation (sr) between the SL-7 and the ISVS-21, with significance accepted at P < .05.

RESULTS

Upon necessary assumptions being met, 114 participants were included with an analysis of variance identifying the model to be significant (F(8,105) = 2.59, P = .01). Multiple linear regression analysis found that the SL-7, in the presence of control variables, was associated with a significant proportion of ISVS-21 scores (R2 = 0.17, F(8,105) = 2.59, P = .01). Notably, only the SL-7 demonstrated a significant contribution to ISVS-21 estimates (β = 0.358, P < .001), with a significant and positive sr of 0.34 (P < .001).

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Perceptions of servant leadership by faculty mentors were positively correlated with interprofessional socialization. Findings bolster the theoretical link between servant leadership and interprofessional socialization, servant leadership in the development of faculty and mentorship programs, and the relevance of informal social interactions.

How to coach student professional development during times of challenges and uncertainties

BACKGROUND

What we teach our (bio)medical students today may differ from the future context under which they will operate as health professionals. This shifting and highly demanding profession requires that we equip these students with adaptive competencies for their future careers. We aimed to develop a framework to promote and facilitate professional development from day one, guided by self-awareness and self-directed learning.

APPROACH

Based on self-directed, transformative and experiential learning, patient involvement and teamwork, we developed a 3-year longitudinal personal-professional development (LPPD) program in the (bio)medical sciences undergraduate curriculum to stimulate self-driven professional development in a variable context. Through group meetings and individual coach consultations, students address topics such as self-awareness, self-directed and lifelong learning, collaboration, well-being and resilience. To drive learning students receive extensive narrative feedback on an essay assignment.

EVALUATION

Experiences and outcomes were evaluated with questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Students and coaches value personal and professional development in a safe learning environment that encourages self-exploration, diversity and connection. Over time, students show more self-awareness and self-directedness and increasingly apply trained skills, resulting in professional identity formation. Students need more clarification to understand the concept of assessment as learning.

IMPLICATIONS

With the generic content of a longitudinal program embedded in a meaningful environment, the personal and professional development of students can be facilitated and stimulated to face future challenges. When translating to other curricula, we suggest considering the complexity of professional development and the time expenditure needed for students to explore, experiment and practice. An early start and thorough integration are recommended.

Prevalence of, Qualities, and Barriers Associated with Mentoring Relationships from Medical Students' Perspective: A Multi-Institutional Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVES

Reports of medical student mentorship prevalence range between 26% and 77%. This broad range likely reflects the tendencies of studies to focus on specific populations of medical students. There is little consensus about the characteristics of mentoring relationships among medical students. The primary goal of this study was to determine the reported prevalence of mentorship among medical students in the United States. The secondary goals were to assess the desired qualities of and barriers to successful mentoring from a medical student perspective.

METHODS

A cross-sectional online survey was administered via Qualtrics to all medical students at participating accredited medical schools from July 2018 to March 2019. The questionnaire contained a subsection of questions that assessed the existence of mentoring, facilitators, and barriers in finding a mentor, and the desired qualities of a successful mentor.

RESULTS

With a 94% completion rate, 369 (69%) of 532 medical students reported having a mentor. Adjusted analysis showed that fourth-year medical students were significantly more likely to have a mentor compared with first-year (odds ratio [OR] 2.65, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.49-4.73, P = 0.001), second-year (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.14-3.76, P = 0.016), and third-year medical students (OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.2-3.90, P = 0.011). Compassion (64%) was the most commonly reported quality in a successful mentoring relationship. Lack of time from mentor (75%) was the most commonly reported barrier.

CONCLUSIONS

This study may serve as a guide to fostering more supportive mentoring relationships. Each mentoring relationship should be tailored to the needs of the mentee, however.

A Global Perspective of Mentorship in Medical Schools: Systematic Review from 2014 to 2019

Formal mentorship programs afford medical students research involvement, career guidance, and personal and professional development. We reviewed a total of 36 studies on mentorship in medical schools, 17 of which are from the United States (US) and 19 from outside the US. This descriptive study has determined the most common mentorship models used in medical schools both in the United States and internationally. Despite variance between programs, medical students in the US and worldwide prefer highly invested mentors with strong interpersonal skills. We concluded that both US and international mentorship provide crucial professional development for students; however, US-based mentorship is more focused on providing experience within individual specialties. More studies on current mentorship practices in medical schools are required to ensure that the diverse international medical education community is better represented.

Survey of the triple-mentoring program for students at a religious medical school

BACKGROUND

Tzu Chi University in Taiwan offers a unique mentoring program. This program differs from others as it comprises triple mentorship, namely, faculty mentors, Tzu Cheng/Yi De (TC/YD; senior volunteers), and school counselors. This study aimed to survey the role functions of the mentors from the perspective of medical students.

METHODS

The Role Functions of the Mentoring Program Scale (RFMPS) was developed on the basis of literature reviews and focus groups and it underwent exploratory factor analysis for internal consistency and reliability. RFMPS comprises four role functions, namely, mental, educational, career, and humanistic/moral guidance counseling. The survey was distributed to 171 medical students via an online network with two-month intervals and was analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance.

RESULTS

The overall response rate was 64% (116/171). The mean scores of the four role functions in descending order belonged to faculty mentors, TC/YD, and school counselors. For humanistic/moral guidance, students had an equal preference for the faculty mentors and TC/YD over school counselors. As for educational, career, and mental guidance counseling, students preferred faculty mentors over TC/YD and school counselors. Faculty mentors provided students with the required guidance counseling for all the four role functions, especially educational guidance; TC/YD in particular offered prominent humanistic/moral guidance and career counseling; school counselors were less preferred but guided students in need.

CONCLUSIONS

Medical students value different role functions provided by faculty mentors, TC/YD, and school counselors. A diversified focus could be provided by the faculty mentors, particularly in educational, career, mental, and humanistic/moral counseling; TC/YD specialized in humanistic/moral guidance; and the school counselors carried out their role function only when needed. Humanistic/moral guidance is equally preferred to other types of guidance, which can be equally valuable in future mentoring programs.

A Better Learning Community: Mixed-Methods Reveal Medical Student Preferences with Implications for Learning Community Design and Implementation

BACKGROUND

Medical school learning communities benefit students. The College of Medicine (COM) at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) provides medical students with academic, professional, and personal support through a learning community (LC) made of 7 academic houses.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the effectiveness of the academic house model at UAMS utilizing a mixed-methods survey. The aims were to: (1) assess student experience and satisfaction with academic houses, (2) describe the realms of advising and guidance, and (3) identify areas for improvement.

METHOD

An online survey was assigned to 723 COM students (all students enrolled, first through fourth years) at UAMS in March 2019. The survey was comprised of 25 items (10 multiple-choice, 8 on the Likert scale, and 7 open-ended questions). Data was depicted using frequency and percentages and/or thematic review of free-form responses.

RESULTS

The survey response rate was 31% (227 students). The majority of students responding (132, 58.1%) attended 2 or more face-to-face meetings with the faculty advisor within the preceding year. However, 27 (11.9%) students did not have any meetings. Approximately two-thirds of the respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the guidance and direction provided by their advisors [very satisfied (n = 83; 36.6%); satisfied (n = 77; 33.9%)]. Themes that emerged from student generated areas for improvement include time constraints, advisor/advisee interest mismatch, and perceived inadequacy of advising content/connections.

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirms the effectiveness of the LC model for advising and mentoring in the COM at UAMS. Uniquely, this study identifies not only learners' satisfaction with their LC but also highlights areas for improvement which are widely generalizable and important to consider for institutions with or planning to start an LC.

What Are the Unique Mentorship Needs of Fourth-Year Medical Students Applying to Pediatrics Residency?

OBJECTIVE

The qualities of good medical school mentors have been well described. However, there is little written about the mentoring needs of medical students applying to pediatrics residency.

METHODS

In order to characterize pediatrics interns' perspectives on the mentorship needs of fourth-year medical students applying to residency, the authors conducted an IRB-approved, qualitative-modified grounded-theory study using a brief survey and semistructured focus groups of pediatric interns in January and February 2018. Two investigators independently coded the focus group transcripts and reconciled codes to develop categories and themes using constant comparison, which were then reviewed by the third author for validation. To further ensure trustworthiness of analysis, participants were asked to comment on the themes' accuracy.

RESULTS

Eighteen pediatrics interns participated, representing 15 medical schools. Four major themes emerged: 1) effective mentors guide medical students to self-reflect and find their own answers about what is important to them in a residency program; 2) multiple mentors are helpful during the residency application process; 3) several key components of advising are often missing during the residency application process; 4) students find it difficult to be honest with their mentors if there is a perceived conflict of interest.

CONCLUSIONS

Medical students applying for pediatrics residency have specific mentorship needs and cite opportunities to improve this area of mentorship. Several key recommendations include utilizing multiple mentors and providing emotional support during the residency application process. In addition, near-peer mentorship is important for medical students applying to residency and should be facilitated by medical schools.

The Evolving Impact of COVID-19 on Medical Student Orthopedic Education: Perspectives From Medical Students in Different Phases of the Curriculum

INTRODUCTION

The world-wide lockdown caused by Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has upended the trajectories of lives everywhere. The medical profession has been on the front lines of this rapidly developing situation, which in turn has called for unprecedented changes in the medical school curriculum. These changes have severe implications for medical students interested in applying to competitive surgical specialties like orthopedics.

METHODS

As medical students in 3 different class years pursuing orthopedic surgery, we provide our perspectives on the impact that COVID-19 has had on medical student orthopedic education.

RESULTS

With the removal of away rotations and a shift to virtual interviews, rising fourth year medical students are arguably the most impacted as they prepare for the orthopedic residency application process. Third year students, who are in the exploratory phase of choosing a specialty, also face uncertainties in the shift to a "new" clerkship experience that may (1) be of shorter duration, (2) implement shifts to limit overcrowding of clinical space, and (3) increase the use of telehealth over direct patient contact.

DISCUSSION

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the course of medical students' orthopedic education in unprecedented ways. We believe the following suggestions may be helpful for students seeking alternative, supplemental ways of learning: (1) read up on major orthopedic journals, (2) reach out to orthopedic surgeons in areas of interest, (3) reach out to program directors/medical clerkship directors/program coordinators for opportunities to attend their educational curriculum virtually, (4) attend online lectures and hospital grand rounds, and (5) practice suturing technique with a practice kit.

CONCLUSIONS

While the medical education landscape remains uncertain amid the evolving conditions of COVID-19, as medical students we strive to learn from this pandemic and respond to future unforeseen challenges with resilience, dedication, and compassion: all qualities we admire in orthopedic surgeons.

High enthusiasm about long lasting mentoring relationships and older mentors

BACKGROUND

Mentoring plays a pivotal role in workplace-based learning, especially in the medical realm. Organising a formal mentoring programme can be labor and time intensive and generally impractical in resource constrained medical schools with limited numbers of mentors. Hence, informal mentoring offers a valuable alternative, but will be more likely to be effective when mentors and protégés share similar views. It is therefore important to gain more insight into factors influencing perceptions of informal mentoring. This study aims to explore mentors and protégés' perceptions of informal mentoring and how these vary (or not) with gender, age and the duration of the relationship.

METHOD

We administered an Informal Mentor Role Instrument (IMRI) to medical practitioners and academics from Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was developed for the study from other validated instruments. It contained 39 items grouped into 7 domains: acceptance, counselling, friendship, parenting, psychological support, role modelling and sociability.

RESULTS

A total of 103 mentors and 91 protégés completed the IMRI. Mentors had a better appreciation for the interpersonal aspects of informal mentoring than protégés, especially regarding acceptance, counselling and friendship. Moreover, being older and engaged in a longer mentoring relationship contributed to more positive perceptions of interpersonal aspects of mentoring, regardless of one's role (mentor or protégé).

CONCLUSION

It can be concluded that the expectations of mentors and protégés differed regarding the content and aim of the interpersonal characteristics of their mentoring relationship. We recommend mentors and protégés to more explicitly exchange their expectations of the informal mentoring relationship, as typically practiced in formal mentoring. Additionally, in our study, seniority and lasting relationships seem crucial for good informal mentoring. It appears beneficial to foster lasting informal mentoring relationships and to give more guidance to younger mentors.

The undergraduate medical student's perception of professional mentorship: Results from a developing nation's medical school

INTRODUCTION

There are no documented formal mentoring programs for medical students in Nigeria. This study aims to determine the perception of undergraduate medical students at the University of Jos on professional mentorship, with a view to informing University authorities on creating and developing a mentoring program.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study conducted in December 2017 in which self-administered questionnaires were distributed among the sixth-year medical students in a University in North-Central Nigeria, eliciting information regarding biodemographic data, knowledge of and experiences with mentoring, desired benefits of mentoring, and the willingness to participate in a mentoring relationship. Data collected was analyzed with EPI Info statistical software^® version 7.2.1 (EPI Info, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, 2017).

RESULTS

In a class of 166, the response rate was 83.5%. Mean age = 27.4 years; standard deviation = ±2.6 with a male: female ratio of 1.9:1. Moderate knowledge of mentoring was reported by 47 (44.3%). Attitude toward mentoring was very positive in 23.6%. One hundred and four (98.1%) students agreed mentoring are effective in developing potential. Nearly 95.3% agreed a mentorship program would benefit medical students with 70.8% expressing high willingness to participate. A weak positive statistical correlation between the age of students and those who expressed willingness to participate was recorded (r = 0.04; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.6-1.16; and P = 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Sixth-year medical students of the University of Jos have a moderate knowledge of and a good attitude toward mentorship. The implementation of a formal mentoring program for medical students at the University of Jos is strongly recommended.

Development of a systematic career coaching program for medical students

PURPOSE

This study aimed to develop a systematic career-coaching program (SCCP) that can be used by medical teaching schools to address a growing need for career-coaching. The program objectives were to help students (1) develop a comprehensive self-understanding of their aptitudes, interests, and personality traits; (2) explore possible career choices and decide on a career path; and (3) develop the competencies needed to prepare for their future careers.

METHODS

The SCCP was based on the ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation) model and decision-making questioning model. Medical professionals, medical education and career counseling experts, and students participated in designing the program.

RESULTS

The SCCP describes coaching content, tools, operational methods, and appropriate timing, and identifies the professionals and specialists who can offer their expertise in the different coaching phases. It is designed to allow medical schools to offer the program in segments or in its entirety, depending on the curriculum and environment.

CONCLUSION

The SCCP represents a viable career-coaching program for medical students that can be applied in part or in its entirety, depending on a medical school's curriculum and educational environment.