Introduction
Mentorship is an important aspect of residency training, especially for surgical specialties like obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN). Research shows that mentorship leads to improved personal development, career guidance, research productivity, and prevention of physician burnout.1,2
Despite the benefits, only 54% of general surgery, 58% of urology, and 52% of orthopedic surgery residencies have an established mentorship program.1–3 It is unknown what percentage of OBGYN residency programs have a formal mentorship program. Regardless, there is strong interest in developing mentorship programs for OBGYN residents.
Mentorship can be divided into two subclasses: formal and informal. Formal mentorship involves pairing a mentor and mentee through an established departmental program. Whereas, informal mentorship arises naturally between a mentor and mentee, most often based on shared interests and personal connection. Previous studies have demonstrated that both subclasses of mentorship can be equally beneficial.4 However, formal mentorship programs have the added benefit of encouraging resident physician participation, thereby increasing the number of residents receiving mentorship. Various types of formal mentorship programs exist. These programs have historically paired a faculty member with a resident physician from the same institution.
We developed a novel formal mentorship program that pairs community-based OBGYN physicians working in private practice with residents enrolled at a university-based OBGYN residency program. The objective of this study is to assess the novel mentorship program after its first year of completion by evaluating the subjective experience of participating mentors and mentees to improve the program for future participants.
Methods
This is a retrospective cohort study (mentors and mentees) of a mentorship program that took place between 07/01/2020 and 06/30/2021. Volunteer community mentors were identified among local OBGYN private-practice groups. Mentors were paired randomly with PGY-1 OBGYN residents from the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC). After obtaining exemption status from the Internal Review Board of the School of Medicine at UMMC, an anonymous survey was sent to the participants upon completion of the mentorship program’s inaugural year. The mentor survey (14 questions) and mentee survey (28 questions) contained Likert-scale, multiple-choice, and open-ended questions regarding participants’ subjective experiences during the mentorship program. The surveys were completed via Google Forms between 11/01/2021 and 11/30/2021. The survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. One mentee who is no longer enrolled in the residency program was excluded from the study.
Results
Surveys were completed by mentors (N=5) and mentees (N=4). Mentors were comprised of junior (practicing < 5 years) and seasoned (practicing > 15 years) attendings Incorrect word/ (?), all of whom enjoy private-practice and are satisfied with their work as generalist OBGYNs (Table 1). Mentees were comprised of PGY-1’s who largely (75%; N=3) desire to pursue private-practice general OBGYN upon graduation (Table 2). The primary outcome for this study was the number of meetings and/or interactions between mentors and mentees over the course of the program. Most mentor-mentee pairs (N=3) met in person or talked over the phone/texted at least 5 times (Table 3).
The secondary outcomes for this study were the subjective experiences of the mentors and mentees and open-ended feedback from participants on how to improve the community-based mentorship program for future cohorts. Sixty percent of mentors (N=3) were “Extremely Satisfied” or “Very Satisfied” with their experience (Table 4). Eighty percent of mentors (N=4) are “Extremely Likely” or “Very Likely” to participate in this program with future cohorts. Pertinent open-ended feedback from the mentors included having the program send out quarterly text reminders to encourage mentors and mentees to reach out to one another.
Fifty percent of mentees (N=2) reported that their mentors provided them with “Excellent” advice on surviving internship year (Table 3). Seventy-five percent (N=3) responded that their mentors provided them with “Excellent” or “Very Good” advice on managing work/personal life balance. Twenty-five percent (N=3) responded that it is “Extremely Likely” that a future job opportunity may arise due to participating in this program. Seventy-five percent (N=3) were "Extremely Satisfied or “Very Satisfied” with their experience in the community-based mentorship program. Pertinent open-ended feedback from the mentees included providing participants with guidelines on how often mentor-mentee pairs should meet. Additional feedback included considering mentees desired career goals when assigning a mentor.
Discussion
Mentorship is a key component of OBGYN residency training. It promotes wellbeing, personal and professional growth, and resident productivity.1–3 The community-based mentorship program evaluated in our study is, to our knowledge, the first to pair private-practice mentors with mentees from a university-based OBGYN residency program. Overall, our novel formal mentorship program proved to be a positive, enriching experience for those involved. Most of the mentor-mentee pairs met either in person or communicated via phone at least 5 times over the course of the year, providing ample opportunities for personal connection and guidance. Furthermore, most mentors and mentees reported satisfaction with the program. Perhaps most importantly, 75% of mentees endorsed recommending that future intern physicians participate in the program, displaying their perceived benefits of the program in fostering growth and success during their first year of residency
Our results reflect that community-based mentorship is a feasible option to expanding mentorship opportunities for OBGYN residents. Both mentors and mentees enjoyed their interactions (whether in person or via phone/text). Open-ended feedback revealed participants’ desire for the program to send out quarterly reminders for mentors and mentees to connect. Mentor-mentee pairs in community-based mentorship do not work at the same institutions. Thus, they do not organically see one another on a weekly or monthly basis. Having the program send out quarterly reminders will help facilitate communication between mentor-mentee pairs, especially early in the year when participants are getting to know one another.
Community-based mentorship has the potential to help increase the number of graduating residents who stay within the state upon graduation. There is a significant shortage of OBGYNs in the United States.5 This shortage is especially troublesome for states with large rural populations, such as Mississippi.6 Most of our mentees responded that it is either “Extremely Likely” or “Somewhat Likely” that a future job opportunity could arise from participating in the program. Most of the mentors connected their mentees with groups or hospitals within the state who are looking to hire an OBGYN generalist. Connecting residents early on in their training with potential partners or employers may help increase the retention of residents upon graduation.
The main limitation of this study was our small sample size, which was dictated by the size of the OBGYN residency training program. Our goal is to survey future cohorts to continually improve the structure and format of the community-based mentorship program. Based on the feedback we received from mentors and mentees in our inaugural cohort, we will incorporate common career goals into our process of matching mentors and mentees. We will recommend that mentor-mentee pairs meet in person at least three times during the academic year (twice during the Fall semester and once during the Spring semester) to ensure that all participants receive the benefits of in-person meetings. Finally, we will provide mentor-mentee pairs with specific, attainable goals, which will include discussing tips to surviving internship year, advice related to providing high-quality clinical care, and tips for managing a healthy work/life balance. Community-based mentorship is a novel approach to residency mentorship, and provides a unique avenue to increasing mentorship opportunities for OBGYN residents at university-based program.
Conflicts of Interest
Authors have nothing to disclose.