Attitudes of Newly Hired Medicine Faculty Regarding Mentorship and Developmental Networks

Prior research shows that most Schools of Medicine faculty consider mentorship the most crucial factor in faculty development and retention. Many faculty are establishing developmental networks in lieu of hierarchical dyadic mentoring relationships. Clinicians are less likely than other newly hired faculty groups to seek mentorship despite having assigned mentors. The study's purpose was to determine the attitudes of newly hired faculty at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine (UNM SOM) regarding mentorship and developmental networks. Within their first year of hire, all newly hired faculty at UNM SOM are required to participate in a two-day orientation to the institution event called 'Quikstart.' During seven such events, new faculty [N=131] were surveyed anonymously on six single-response questions about their attitudes regarding mentorship and developmental networks, administered via online polls between September 2018 and July 2022. In this descriptive study, summary characteristics were analyzed. Newly hired faculty mentees reported that creating a developmental network was hampered by difficulties finding multiple mentors (55.3%), receiving conflicting advice from multiple mentors (22.4%), and gathering many mentors at the same location at the same time (11.8% ). Lack of clarity regarding faculty mentee needs (55.5%), mentors' unavailability (17.6%), and failure to find mentors (14.3%) were the most often mentioned difficulties during the initiation stage of mentorship (Hitchcock et al., 1995). Although the literature advocates moving from hierarchical dyadic mentoring relationships to developmental networks, this transition for Medicine faculty mentees will likely be hindered by a shortage of adequately trained mentors. Institutions need to identify and train mentors, incentivize and support mentorship, and encourage the creation and maintenance of self-selected development networks, possibly under the leadership of a transitional mentor.