Initial Experience With Formal Near-Peer Mentoring in Radiology Residency

Mentorship plays an important role in academic medicine and research. This article describes the implementation of a near-peer mentoring program for radiology residents at a single institution and assesses its utility. Of all invited residents, 100% elected to participate. Among the surveyed participants, 63.8% reported that COVID-19 restrictions resulted in feelings of isolation at work, higher in junior residents (74%) as compared to senior residents (50%). Eighty-three percent of residents agreed that the mentorship program allowed them to engage with residents that they would not routinely spend time with, and nearly all (95.7%) of surveyed residents indicated that they would recommend deployment of this mentorship program at other institutions. Together, these findings demonstrate that near-peer mentoring groups in radiology residency are a valuable addition to the training program, serve to increased resident engagement and sense of community, and provide and internal reference for guidance across resident-related issues.