A novel approach to medical mentoring

Mentoring is integral to the development of doctors in complex, pressured, work-based environments. At the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH), anecdotally mentoring was successful in informal relationships, but a formalised small group programme was not seen as effective by junior doctors (residents). Drawing from corporate and medical literature, as well as considering survey data from our junior and senior doctor cohorts, we surmised that a self-selected online approach would empower both the mentor and the mentee.

Junior resident medical officers (JRMOs), in postgraduate year 2-4 (PGY 2-4) at RCH, are invited to participate in a self-selected dyad mentoring programme. The mentors volunteer their time and knowledge and come from the registrar (PGY3 and 4) and fellow (PGY5 and 6) cohorts. This programme ran in 2017 for 10 months and the mentees were advised to be in contact with their mentor every 6-8 weeks. Thirty JRMO mentees and 36 mentors opted in to the programme, resulting in 30 matched pairs. The group participants were able to access a range of online tools when establishing and conducting their mentoring relationship.

The self-selected dyad model, using mentor videos and online resources housed on the RCH learning management system, was designed to maximise the flexibility, sustainability and accessibility of the programme. A brokering and support system for the mentors and the mentees is part of the model.

An opt-in, self-selected online mentoring programme for junior residents at a tertiary paediatric hospital is an effective and sustainable model of mentoring.