Virtual mentoring for medical students in the Covid-19 times

Abstract

Introduction: Throughout the SARS-COV-2 pandemic, schools had to adopt social distancing and remote learning, which, according to recent studies suggest an increase in depression, anxiety and behavioral disorders among university students. Medical training, which has a heavy load of psychological issues had to face this aggravating factor, reinforcing the need for support actions for students, such as mentoring programs. Mentoring programs offer empathetic and developmental support that encourages self-care, well-being and resilience. Experience report: A group of teacher-mentors from a medical school adapted the mentoring activities to a remote model, offering them to upper-level students who had already participated in mentoring, and, separately, to students who were newly enrolled in the medical course. In the remote format, the mentoring proposal was maintained as a “place of conversation”, but on a digital platform. The technical follow-up was carried out by remote meetings of the group of teacher-mentors, and consultation with students through a self-administered online questionnaire. The data obtained were submitted to content analysis. Discussion: From March to December, 109 virtual mentoring meetings were held. The students considered the meetings satisfactory in terms of the quality of discussions, the mentors’ attitudes and the emotional environment. The interactive development varied among groups, but it was observed to be easier in the groups of upper-level students. Among the newly-enrolled students, the recurring topic was the fear of poor performance in the tests, losing the semester, or not learning. Upper-level students highlighted the difficulties of adapting to remote learning and organizing their activities, and the decrease in practical activities. All groups reported fear of the pandemic, of death, of the worsening of parents’ financial situation, and sadness about the loss of relatives to COVID-19. It drew the attention of the mentors the fact that the students, even in a welcoming space, kept the cameras turned off. Conclusion: For mentors and students, virtual mentoring worked as an important student support system. Upper-level students and first-year ones reported feeling cared for, supported and grateful, suggesting that the meetings allowed a good interaction and produced beneficial effects. A limitation of this study was the duration of the experiment. Therefore, it is recommended that the research be maintained.

Online mentoring of medical students during COVID-19 pandemic: Another new normal

“…Another study mentioned comparable results stating that the virtual mentoring system lacks privacy component which is the backbone in terms of trust building between the mentor and mentee. 17 The current study stated that the majority of the students believed that on-campus mentoring is better than the online meetings. They were in favor of face to face sessions.…”

“…The mentoring sessions are of great importance as they are associated with positive youth development. 17 A study conducted in Washington has mentioned comparable results stating that the online mentoring sessions that were conducted during the pandemic period were associated with fruitful impact. Through the mentorship program students were able to build interpersonal skills that carry a positive impact on their academics and personality.…”

“… 19 Rios et al suggested that as students could not meet their seniors face to face that is why there seems to be a deficiency in the process of bond building and understanding of students’ issues. 17 …”

“…Although the mentees were not very satisfied by the e-mentoring process, it still fulfilled its purpose during the pandemic. 17 …”

“…Although the mentees were not very satisfied by the e-mentoring process, it still fulfilled its purpose during the pandemic. 17 The current study implied that the scheduled online mentoring sessions were fruitful as they were a platform through which students were able to vent out their stress, be it academics related or personal. An Iranian study published parallel findings and documented that these days students have to cope with mental and emotional issues, including tension, nervousness and fear, which may necessitate significant psychological support.…”