Being a mentor for undergraduate medical students enhances personal and professional development

Abstract

Background: There is increasing evidence of the positive effects of mentoring in medical undergraduate programmes, but as far as we know, no studies on the effects for the mentors have yet been described in the field of medicine.

Aim: This study aims to evaluate an undergraduate mentor programme from the mentors’ perspective, focusing particularly on the effect of mentorship, the relationships between mentoring and teaching and the mentors’ perceived professional and personal development.

Methods: Data was gathered through a questionnaire to all 83 mentors (response rate 75%) and semi-structured interviews with a representative sample of 10 mentors.

Results: Findings show, for example, that a majority of respondents developed their teaching as a result of their mentorship and improved their relations with students. Most respondents also claimed that being a mentor led to an increased interest in teaching and increased reflections regarding their own values and work practices.

Conclusion: Being a mentor was perceived as rewarding and may lead to both personal and professional development.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Terese Stenfors-Hayes

TERESE STENFORS-HAYES is an educational developer at Centre for Medical Education (CME) Karolinska Institutet.

Susanne Kalén

SUSANNE KALÉN is a PhD student, RN, BSc(Med) at the Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset.

Håkan Hult

HÅKAN HULT is an Associate Professor of Education, Linköping University and visiting professor, part-time of Medical Education at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm.

Lars Owe Dahlgren

LARS OWE DAHLGREN is a Professor of Education, Linköping University and visiting professor, part-time of Medical Education at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm. His research interests comprise higher education in general, medical education, inter-professional education, problem-based learning, patient communication, qualitative analysis (phenomenography).

Hans Hindbeck

HANS HINDBECK, MA, is an educational consultant specialised in evaluation of medical education at the Centre for Medical Education (CME), director of the Medical Statistics Unit (MedStat) at the Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics (LIME), Karolinska Institutet.

Sari Ponzer

SARI PONZER, MD, is a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Dean of Higher Education at Karolinska Institutet. Her research focus on orthopaedic trauma with special interest in psychosocial factors and outcome in terms of quality of life. Her medical education research focus on interprofessional education, professional development and curriculum development.