Efficacy of an Interinstitutional Mentoring Program Within Pediatric Rheumatology

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Rheumatology
• Medical Education
• Professional Development

Background:

• Pediatric rheumatology programs often have limited mentoring opportunities for early-career physicians.
• The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) established the ACR/CARRA Mentoring Interest Group (AMIGO) to address this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of the AMIGO interinstitutional mentoring program on mentoring within pediatric rheumatology.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal 3-year study compared participant ratings from the AMIGO pilot program with general enrollment.
• Surveys of US and Canadian pediatric rheumatologists in 2011 and 2014 assessed mentoring access by career stage before and after AMIGO implementation.

Main Results:

• Both pilot and general phases reported success in mentor contact, pairing suitability, and benefits for career development, scholarship, and work-life balance.
• AMIGO participation was high among fellows (86%) and modest among junior faculty (31%).
• Implementation led to significant gains in mentorship breadth and satisfaction for fellows, but not junior faculty.

Conclusions:

• The AMIGO program is a feasible and effective subspecialty-wide interinstitutional mentoring initiative for pediatric rheumatology.
• The program demonstrably improves mentoring, benefiting fellows and junior faculty across the US and Canada.