Faculty mentorship during residency and professional development among practising emergency physicians

Mentorship is perceived to be an important component of residency education. However, evidence of the impact of mentorship on professional development in Emergency Medicine (EM) is lacking.

Online survey distributed to attending physician members of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (CAEP), using a modified Dillman method. Survey contained questions about mentorship during residency training, and perceptions of the impact of mentorship on career development.

The response rate was 23.5% (309/1314). 63.6% reported having at least one mentor during residency. The proportion of participants with a formal mentorship component during residency was higher among those with mentors (44.5%) compared to those without any formal mentorship component during residency (8.0%, p<0.001). The most common topics discussed with mentors were career planning and work-life balance. The least common topics included research and finances. While many participants consulted their mentor regarding their first job (56.5%), fewer consulted their mentor regarding subspecialty training (45.1%) and research (41.1%). 71.8% chose to work in a similar centre as their mentor, but few completed the same subspecialty (24.8%), or performed similar research (30.4%). 94.1% stated that mentorship was important to success during residency. Participants in a formal mentorship program did not rate their experience of mentorship higher than those without a formal program.

Among academic EM physicians with an interest in mentorship, mentorship during EM residency may have a greater association with location of practice than academic scholarship or subspecialty choice. Formal mentorship programs increase the likelihood of obtaining a mentor, but do not appear to improve reported mentorship experiences.