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Published on: February 19, 2021
Longitudinal program evaluation of an inter-institutional mentorship network for pediatric rheumatology using a
Kristen Hayward1, Alexi Grom2, Eyal Muscal3
1Seattle Children's Hospital and University of Washington School of Medicine.
Insights
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Mentoring Interest Group (AMIGO) program successfully addressed mentorship gaps in pediatric rheumatology from 2011-2018. Despite workforce limitations, AMIGO provided sustained mentorship access and participant benefits, informing future programs.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rheumatology
- Medical Education
- Professional Development
Background:
- The American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Mentoring Interest Group (AMIGO) was established to address critical mentorship deficits in pediatric rheumatology.
- The program aimed to assess its sustainability, participant benefits, and challenges over the 2011-2018 period, considering the small pediatric rheumatology workforce.
Approach:
- A mixed-methods approach utilizing a quality improvement framework was employed to evaluate AMIGO's process and outcomes.
- Data were collected through workforce surveys and participant feedback to assess program reach and impact.
Key Points:
- AMIGO engaged 331 unique participants (66% response rate) out of 504 identified individuals in the US and Canadian pediatric rheumatology workforce between 2011 and 2018.
- Mentees reported high satisfaction with career development, research, and work-life balance, while mentors valued community connection and mentee support.
- The success of AMIGO led to the creation of a similar program, Creating Adult Rheumatology Mentorship in Academia (CARMA), in 2018.
Conclusions:
- AMIGO demonstrates sustained success in providing consistent mentorship opportunities within pediatric rheumatology, despite challenges posed by a limited workforce.
- The AMIGO model offers valuable insights for developing and maintaining mentorship networks in other academic medical subspecialties facing similar workforce constraints.
Background:
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Mentoring Interest Group (AMIGO) is an inter-institutional mentorship program launched to target mentorship gaps within pediatric rheumatology. Initial program evaluation indicated increased mentorship access. Given the small size of the pediatric rheumatology workforce, maintaining a consistent supply of mentors was a potential threat to the longevity of the network. Our aims were to: (i) describe the sustainability of AMIGO over the period 2011-2018, (ii) highlight ongoing benefits to participants, and (iii) describe challenges in the maintenance of a mentorship network.
Methods:
A mixed-methods approach centered on a quality improvement framework was used to report on process and outcomes measures associated with AMIGO annual cycles.
Results:
US and Canada Pediatric rheumatology workforce surveys identified 504 possible participants during the time period. As of fall 2018, 331 unique individuals had participated in AMIGO as a mentee, mentor or both for a program response rate of 66% (331/504). Survey of mentees indicated high satisfaction with impact on general career development, research/scholarship and work-life balance. Mentors indicated increased sense of connection to the community and satisfaction with helping mentees despite minimal perceived benefit to their academic portfolios. Based on AMIGO's success, a counterpart program, Creating Adult Rheumatology Mentorship in Academia (CARMA), was launched in 2018.
Conclusions:
Despite the challenges of a limited workforce, AMIGO continues to provide consistent access to mentorship opportunities for the pediatric rheumatology community. This experience can inform approaches to mentorship gaps in other academic subspecialties.
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