Mentoring in genitourinary medicine

Mentoring is a process whereby one doctor (the mentor) facilitates and encourages another doctor (the mentee) to develop their career, in light of their own priorities. Mentees benefit from time dedicated to addressing their needs, challenging the status quo, and exploring ways to change. Mentoring schemes depend on the availability and enthusiasm of suitably trained mentors, as well as the voluntary participation of mentees. The specialty of genitourinary (GU) medicine is setting up such a scheme, which will initially be offered to new consultants. Workshops to train mentors are starting that are specifically tailored to our specialty. We discuss the principles and benefits of mentoring, different models that can be used, and potential difficulties. We also present the results of a survey that demonstrated widespread interest in mentoring within GU medicine.