Group mentoring for junior medical students: perceptions of mentees and mentors

Maria De Fátima Aveiro Colares,Luiz Ernesto De Almeida Troncon,Maria De Lourdes Veronese Rodrigues,Cristiane Martins Peres,Afonso Diniz Costa Passos,Margaret De Castro,José Fernando De Castro Figueiredo

doi:10.1590/s0100-55022009000400019

Maria De Fátima Aveiro Colares, Luiz Ernesto De Almeida Troncon + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/s0100-55022009000400019

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Abstract

Entering medical school can be associated with a number of difficulties that can hinder students' performance. Mentoring programs are designed to help students circumvent difficulties and improve their learning and personal development. The current study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of both students and mentors regarding a recently introduced, group-based mentoring program designed to support first-year students. After one year of regular meetings, students and mentors' perceptions of the program were assessed by means of structured questionnaires. Response content categories were identified through multiple readings. Both regular attendees and non-participating students had positive opinions about the program. Mentors were highly satisfied at having participated and acknowledged that the program has been useful not only for assisting students, but also for fostering their own personal and professional development. In conclusion, the group-based mentoring program is feasible and can elicit positive views from both mentors and students. In addition, faculty members' participation as mentors can also be beneficial, since the program appears to contribute to their own personal and professional development

Highlights

Entering medical school can be associated with a number of difficulties that can hinder students’ performance and personal development
New students have to cope with the stressful nature of medical training[1, 2], dealing with and assimilating vast amounts of scientific content in the first years of medical school
This concern is consistent with data from a systematic review of the impact of medical school mentoring on participants and institutions, which concluded that the evidence to support the perception of benefit is not strong, so that further research on the issue is needed[18]

Summary

Introduction

Entering medical school can be associated with a number of difficulties that can hinder students’ performance and personal development. Admitted medical students routinely face different types of pressure, such as the need to adapt to a new environment and create a social network. New students have to cope with the stressful nature of medical training[1, 2], dealing with and assimilating vast amounts of scientific content in the first years of medical school. Students are admitted into undergraduate medical training when they are still just teenagers, making them vulnerable to such difficulties. Many medical schools have implemented student support and counseling systems[3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. Many of the proposed programs work mainly on an individual basis and assist only a limited share of students

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