Mentorship Programs in Residency: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Training
• Mentorship Programs

Background:

• Mentorship during residency training is linked to better outcomes.
• Many residency programs have formal mentorship structures.
• Existing program data lack synthesis, potentially limiting effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• Synthesize literature on formal mentorship programs for residents in Canada and the US.
• Analyze program structure, outcomes, and evaluation methods.
• Identify barriers and facilitators for effective mentorship.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a scoping review of Ovid MEDLINE and Embase in December 2019.
• Included studies on formal mentorship programs for resident physicians in Canada/US.
• Extracted and reconciled data from 55 eligible studies.

Main Results:

• Most programs paired staff physicians with resident mentees, with meetings every 3-6 months.
• Program evaluations were often limited to single-time-point satisfaction surveys.
• Qualitative data analysis identified key barriers and facilitators for successful mentorship.

Conclusions:

• Most mentorship programs lack rigorous evaluation strategies.
• Qualitative insights offer valuable information for program design and improvement.
• Effective mentorship can be enhanced by understanding identified barriers and facilitators.