Introduction of an Online Mentoring Program for Final Professional MBBS Students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Mentorship Programs
• Student Development

Background:

• Final-year undergraduate medical students require enhanced self-confidence and career planning support.
• The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated challenges faced by these students, increasing the need for mentorship.
• Formal online mentoring programs were largely absent in Indian medical colleges despite the introduction of mentoring in 2019.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate an online mentoring program for final-year undergraduate medical students.
• To assess the impact of online mentoring on student confidence and preparedness.
• To address the gap in formal online mentoring during the pandemic.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 16 mentees and a principal researcher.
• A needs assessment survey was conducted prior to program finalization.
• A mentoring module was designed, followed by five online mentoring sessions via Google Meets, with feedback collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

• Over 93% of mentees supported the introduction of an online mentoring program.
• Mentees reported satisfaction (median=4 on a 5-point Likert scale), motivation, and increased confidence in overcoming challenges.
• A significant majority (80%) felt supported, and 86.67% agreed they could leverage positive attributes towards their goals.

Conclusions:

• The online mentorship program effectively enhanced medical students' confidence in managing academic and non-academic issues.
• Online mentoring provides a viable solution for supporting medical students' personal and professional development.
• The program demonstrated success in preparing students for future independent practice.