Perceived Mentoring Practices in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship Programs

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pediatrics
• Career Development

Background:

• Mentoring is recognized as vital for junior physicians' career progression and success.
• Existing literature indicates that mentoring opportunities are often underutilized despite significant interest from trainees.
• Developmental-behavioral pediatric (DBP) fellowship programs may offer suboptimal mentoring experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize current mentoring practices within DBP fellowship programs.
• To identify the specific mentoring needs of current DBP fellows and recent graduates.
• To inform improvements in DBP fellowship mentoring.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to current DBP fellows and recent graduates (within 5 years post-training) from US-based programs.
• The survey focused on participants' mentoring experiences during fellowship and early career stages.
• Ninety respondents (47 fellows, 43 recent graduates) completed the survey.

Main Results:

• Only 52% of fellows reported having a formal faculty mentor; 45% of recent graduates currently have a mentor, with 83% desiring one.
• Mentoring adequacy was lowest for career development (34%) and research (27%) during fellowship.
• Satisfaction with mentoring correlated positively with having a formal mentor and receiving guidance in multiple areas.

Conclusions:

• DBP fellowship programs have opportunities to enhance mentoring, particularly in career development and research.
• There is a substantial unmet need for mentorship among recent DBP graduates.
• Study findings provide actionable insights for refining mentoring strategies in DBP training programs and supporting early-career physicians.