Describing a novel, national, vertical mentorship program for women in emergency medicine across Canada

Mentorship models deviating from traditional staff-student dyads are beginning to emerge, and the CAEP Women in Emergency Medicine (WEM) Committee has implemented a novel, vertical mentorship program in the hopes of increasing mentorship accessibility across Canada for students, residents, and attending physicians. The vertical mentorship consisted of an attending physician, resident, and medical student all practicing or interested in EM. Groups were created based on location or niche preference. Early and post-mentorship surveys were sent to all 60 participants to gauge overall impact on career development, academic promotion, emotional wellbeing, and niche development. Overall, the implementation of an innovative, national, vertical mentorship program was largely beneficial for the personal wellbeing and professional development of participants. Academic institutions are strongly encouraged to implement formal vertical mentorship to increase access to mentorship for trainees at all stages in their career.