Mentoring for NHS doctors: perceived benefits across the personal-professional interface

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Management
• Professional Development

Background:

• Mentoring is recognized as a valuable tool in professional development.
• Previous research on mentoring in healthcare has often been limited to single sectors.
• Understanding the multifaceted benefits of mentoring for doctors is crucial for healthcare organizations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the perceived benefits of mentoring schemes for National Health Service (NHS) doctors.
• To explore the interrelationships between different areas of benefit derived from mentoring.
• To develop a conceptual framework illustrating these benefits.

Main Methods:

• Extended qualitative analysis of a multi-site interview study.
• Interpretivist approach applied to data from six NHS mentoring schemes across England.
• Analysis focused on perceived benefits as the main outcome measure.

Main Results:

• Mentoring benefits extend beyond professional practice to encompass personal well-being and development.
• A key finding is the crossing of the personal-professional interface, indicating holistic benefits.
• Problem-solving and change management were identified as core processes driving these benefits, with potential for consequential gains across areas.

Conclusions:

• Mentoring benefits for NHS doctors transcend organizational boundaries and individual roles.
• A conceptual map highlights complex relationships between professional practice, personal well-being, and development.
• Mentoring can enhance doctor satisfaction and confidence, strengthening healthcare organizations and offering a basis for evaluation tools.