Mentees perception of Formal Mentorship at public sector Medical School, Pakistan

To evaluate medical students' experiences with mentors along with strengths and limitations of the first formal mentorship program at Medical School.

This cross sectional study was conducted at Services Institute of Medical Sciences, a public sector medical college in Lahore. The mentoring program was planned and implemented for first time from January 2022 to November 2022 for MBBS students. Mentors were faculty members who received training prior to the program. Mentorship session of two hours every month was included in timetable. After the successful completion of one year of the program, the feedback questionnaire was filled by mentees about their perceptions about mentors and mentorship program and analyzed.

A total of 362 students gave feedback. The findings highlight that 327/362 (90.3%) of students had positive experiences with their mentors, particularly in areas of mentor accessibility, confidence building, learning ethical behavior, how to study smart, professionalism, psychological support and communication skills. There were five key strengths identified by student responses including personal development and support 141(40%), better communication and interaction 131(35%), time and relationships management skills 22(6%) and professional guidance 10(3%). Around 107(29%) of the students did not perceive any weaknesses in the mentorship program. Half of the respondents expressed concerns about the lack of assurance regarding confidentiality. Around (15.1%) reported hesitancy in communicating within group settings and suggested individual distraction free sessions.

Formal mentorship program is beneficial in personal and professional development of students. A comprehensive framework that ensures confidentiality should be considered to enhance its effectiveness.