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Insights into the Value of Student/Student Mentoring from the Mentor’s Perspective

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Abstract

Objective

Determine and describe the impact of student/student mentoring (SSM) on the senior medical student mentor involved in a formal SSM program.

Method

An anonymous online survey was administered to fourth-year medical students at the University of North Carolina with questions regarding participation in SSM programs (formal and informal) as well as the impact of these experiences. Responses from fourth-year mentors were compared to non-mentors’ answers. Data was analyzed to assess the value of, understand motivations for not participating in, and to describe perceptions regarding SSM.

Results

One hundred seven of 178 students in the fourth-year class completed the survey, a 60% response rate. Forty-two students participated in the formal SSM program, 48 did not have mentors (non-mentors), and 17 were excluded as they participated in informal mentoring programs. There were no differences in gender, age, or matched specialty between mentors and non-mentors. Ninety-five percent of all students agreed that SSM was valuable in a way that was different from student/resident or student/faculty mentoring. Mentors were nearly twice as non-mentors likely to believe that being the mentee in an SSM relationship would be beneficial. In addition, mentors were 4 times more likely to believe that being a mentor in an SSM program was valuable and 83% stated they would mentor again. Lastly, nearly three quarters of mentors felt that this was a worthwhile experience.

Conclusions

Students who served as mentors as part of an SSM program had positive experiences and found it a valuable addition to traditional faculty/student mentoring.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Anna Fleischman

  2. University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Alexander Plattner

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University (formerly of University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC), Chicago, IL, USA

    Jacqueline Lee

  4. Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Erin Malloy

  5. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University (formerly of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC), 2608 Erwin Rd, Ste 205, Durham, NC, 27707, USA

    Sarah Dotters-Katz

Authors
  1. Anna Fleischman
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  2. Alexander Plattner
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  3. Jacqueline Lee
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  4. Erin Malloy
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  5. Sarah Dotters-Katz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah Dotters-Katz.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

This study was approved by the University of North Carolina IRB committee.

Informed Consent

A statement of informed consent was sent with the survey link, and consent was implied by completion of the survey. The survey was anonymous.

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Fleischman, A., Plattner, A., Lee, J. et al. Insights into the Value of Student/Student Mentoring from the Mentor’s Perspective. Med.Sci.Educ. 29, 691–696 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-019-00739-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-019-00739-9

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