Mentorship of US Medical Students: a Systematic Review

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Mentoring of medical students remains a core pillar of medical education, yet the changing landscape of medicine has called for new and innovative mentoring models to guide students in professional development, career placement, and overall student well-being. The objective of this review is to identify and describe models of mentorship for US medical students. METHODS: We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, Education Resources Information Center, and Cochrane Databases of Systematic Reviews following PRISMA guidelines. We included original, English-language studies of any research design including descriptive studies that described a mentorship program at a US medical school designed for medical students. RESULTS: Our search yielded 3743 unique citations. Thirty articles met our inclusion criteria. There was significant diversity of the identified programs with regard to program objectives and size. The traditional dyad model of mentorship was the most frequently cited model, with a combination of models (dyad and group mentorship) cited as the second most common. Outcome measures of the programs were largely survey based, with satisfaction being the most measured outcome. Overall, satisfaction was highly rated throughout all the measured mentoring programs. Seven programs provided objective outcomes measures, including improved residency match data and increased scholarly productivity. The programs with objective outcomes measures were smaller, and 6/7 of them focused on a specific clinical area. Five of these programs relied on the traditional dyad model of mentorship. Cost and faculty time were the most frequently cited barriers to these programs. DISCUSSION: Our review demonstrates that mentoring programs for medical students can positively improve medical school satisfaction and career development. These results underscore the need for continued innovative mentoring programs to foster optimal student development in the setting of the increasingly competitive residency match process, growing expectations about student research productivity, and the national focus for overall student wellness.

Enhancing Mentoring in Palliative Care: An Evidence Based Mentoring Framework

“…Recent reviews suggest that the host organization plays a critical role in ensuring consistency 3 , 15 , 59 , 63 - 88 yet flexibility 15 , 16 , 45 , 59 , 67 , 69 - 71 , 73 - 79 , 81 , 84 , 89 - 103 within the mentoring program. By spearheading the program, the host organization is deeply involved in formalizing the mentoring approach and its structure.…”

The Pivotal Role of Host Organizations in Enhancing Mentoring in Internal Medicine: A Scoping Review

“…(1) "Defining" and secondary roles An overwhelming majority of the included articles defined the host organization by the roles they play in their respective mentoring programs. 67, These papers suggest that the "defining" roles 47 83,88,92,[95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102]132,135 influencing, 47,90,[92][93][94]122 and overseeing the mentoring program 88,95,98,102-107 • • and nurturing the mentoring culture 84,85,[90][91][92]97,101,106,[108][109][110] and mentoring relationships 83,85,88,92,[95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102] Characteristics of an effective host, in particular, were determined to be their ability to: 47,67,…”

“…The host establishes its selection, vetting, matching and training for mentees and mentors 47,67,83,85,88,[90][91][92][93][95][96][97][98][99][100][101]104,107,111,118,121,[123][124][125]129,133,134,136,138,142 And may use contractual agreements 67,90,[92][93][94]101,102,131 To align expectations 47,84,85,88,90,92,97,101,[108][109][110]131,139,…”

“…Too narrow a picture of the host organization may have been sketched in this scoping review given that it was explored in Satisfaction and retention 83,88,92,96,108,110,116,126,129,138,144,146,152,153 Sustainability and productivity of the program 47,85,96,118,124,[142][143][144]153 isolation from factors such as the dynamic nature of mentoring relationships, structures, environments, and even mentee-mentor matching processes. Concurrently, given the context-specific nature of the host and their roles in mentoring programs, conflation within the included articles of different healthcare, educational and CPD systems across different national and international contexts may prove to be problematic.…”

Implementing longitudinal integrated curricula: Systematic review of barriers and facilitators

“…Mentoring and continuous supervision support the programme implementation. Literature about mentoring programmes in medical education has shown several benefits: increased research productivity, improved medical school performance, positive effects on retention and recruitment of trainees, high participant satisfaction, and promotion as well as retaining of women in academic medicine 48,56‐58 …”