Are You My Mentor? Pediatric Residents' Conceptualization of Mentoring and Mentoring Relationships

Mentorship involves a multidimensional relationship between junior and senior professionals and is integral to professional development. Pediatric residents are required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to identify at least 1 mentor. However, it remains unclear how residents conceptualize and use mentorship. This study sought to understand how pediatric residents identify and value mentorship and to assess a workshop designed to empower residents to develop mentoring relationships.

Pediatric residents were surveyed regarding their experiences with and perceptions of mentoring. An interactive workshop was designed to facilitate the identification and utilization of mentors in professional development for pediatric residents. Preworkshop and 8-month postworkshop surveys assessed resident professional growth priorities, sources of mentorship, other advisors, satisfaction with mentorship, and confidence in cultivating mentor-mentee relationships.

Twenty-nine residents completed the preworkshop survey. Residents identified clinical skills, career development, work-life balance, leadership, and research as their top priorities for growth. Nearly all residents (97%) identified advisors, though only 65% reported having a mentor. Nine residents completed the postworkshop survey. Residents reported increased confidence in initiating mentoring relationships and mentoring junior trainees following the workshop.

Pediatric residents identified numerous areas of personal and professional growth amenable to mentoring. While nearly all residents identified advisors, many were unable to identify a mentor, suggesting a discordance between residents' conceptualization and actualization of mentorship. Resident responses suggest that a brief workshop intervention may durably increase resident confidence in initiating mentoring relationships.