The Impact of Mentorship on Female Plastic Surgeons in Canada: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Mentorship is important for professional development, reducing burnout, and promoting diversity within surgical programs. Notably, mentorship has been established as a tool for encouraging women to pursue surgical careers. In Canada, female plastic surgeons make up a third of surgeons. However, no study to date has investigated the effect of mentorship on female plastic surgeons in Canada.

We conducted a cross-sectional study assessing the impact of mentor-mentee relationships of female plastic surgeons across Canada. An online questionnaire was sent to female plastic surgeons across 13 Canadian academic institutions. The survey included mentee and mentor demographics, mentee-mentor relationship, and mentorship perspectives.

Twenty-five participants completed the survey with a mean age of 33.2 (SD ± 9.4) from 10 academic institutions. 72% (n = 18) were residents and 28% (n = 7) were consultants. 60% (n = 15) had a mentor, with 40% (n = 6) having more than three mentors; 60% (n = 9) of mentors were women and 30% (n = 6) were men. Most participants met mentors through research (33%; n = 5) and formal mentorship programs (33%; n = 5). Main topics discussed include academic proclivity (80%; n = 12), surgical skills (80%; n = 12), and work-life balance (80%; n = 12). Main mentor contributions include development of surgical (93%; n = 14) and clinical skills (80%; n = 12), pursuit of plastic surgery (80%; n = 12), and research (73%; n = 11).

Mentorship plays an instrumental role for female plastic surgeons in developing clinical and surgical skills and providing encouragement to pursue a career in plastic surgery. This investigation identifies strengths and gaps in mentor-mentee relationships that can promote future effective mentorship and diversity in plastic surgery.