Development and Implementation of a Tiered Mentorship Program in a General Surgery Residency

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Mentorship Programs

Background:

• General surgery residency programs require robust mentorship for trainee development.
• Structured mentorship programs can enhance career planning and professional growth.
• Existing mentorship models may lack a tiered approach for comprehensive support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and implementation of a structured, tiered mentorship program in general surgery residency.
• To longitudinally evaluate the program's impact on residents and faculty engagement.
• To assess resident satisfaction and perceived value of the mentorship initiative.

Main Methods:

• A single-institution descriptive study utilizing anonymous annual resident surveys from 2024-2026.
• Inclusion of approximately 32 general surgery residents per year, with a 70% overall response rate.
• Data collection focused on faculty engagement, career interest definition, mentor access, and program satisfaction.

Main Results:

• Consistent high faculty mentorship engagement (80-92%) across survey years.
• High resident reporting of defined career interests (86-100%) and access to career mentors (65-83%).
• Stable high resident satisfaction (mean scores 3.9-4.0) and positive impact on training and career planning.

Conclusions:

• A structured, tiered mentorship program is feasible and sustainable in general surgery residency.
• Trainees highly value the mentorship program, reporting significant positive impacts.
• Integrating peer, faculty, career, and alumni mentorship offers longitudinal support for residents.