Group Mentorship Programs in Emergency Medicine

Mentorship in Emergency Medicine: From Near-Peers to Tiers

Dr. Sarah Ronan-Bentle, MD

Dr. Robbie Paulsen, MDDr. Nicholas Kman, MD

@drnickkman


Resident and Faculty Panel:

Dr. Laura Espy Bell

Dr. Matthew Stull

With Dr. Robbie Paulsen

Objectives

Describe the formation, organization, structure and function of group mentorship programs.

Describe 2 such programs who approach this model in slightly different forms.

Introduce the role of gender in medical student mentoring (one institutions experience).

Divulge challenges and limitations to group mentorship programs.

Background

Mentorship is a reciprocal relationship between an advanced career incumbent (mentor) and a beginner (mentee).

A mentor should empower and encourage the mentee, role model, build a professional network, and assist in mentee's personal development.

A mentee should set agendas, follow through, accept criticism, and be able to assess performance and benefits derived from relationship.

Frei et al., Mentoring programs for medical students – a review of the PubMed literature 2000 - 2008 BMC Medical Education 2010,10:32.

Background

Mentorship is intended to promote professional development and career advancement.

Up to 40% of medical students cannot identify a mentor.

One of the barriers of the mentorship relationship, “finding a suitable mentor”, can be solved by starting a mentorship program.

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Mentorship Models

Classic one-to-one mentoring between mentor and mentee.

Group mentoring: Small group of mentees supervised by a mentor

The Multiple-Mentor Experience Model: Individual or group mentoring with a number of mentors

Peer mentoring and mentoring among co-equals.

B. Buddeberg-Fischer & K.-D. Herta. Formal mentoring programmes for medical students and doctors – a review of the Medline literature. Medical Teacher, Vol. 28, No. 3, 2006, pp. 248–257.

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Medical Student Mentorship

2 Reviews showed 9-14 published mentoring programs for medical students and 7 for doctors.

Programs pursued different goals and employed different structures.

% of women among the mentors is given in only one of the programs.

Conclude that career development should be stage-specific and goal-oriented.

Frei et al., Mentoring programs for medical students – a review of the PubMed literature 2000 - 2008 BMC Medical Education 2010,10:32.

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Gender In Mentorship: Background

Approximately 50% of U.S. medical students are now female, yet gender inequality exists in many medical specialties

Studies have indicated that one of the primary barriers to the advancement of women in medicine is lack of effective mentors.

Female trainees are less likely to identify a mentor and mentorship programs for women are rare.

Welch JL, Jimenez HL, Walthall J, and Allen SE(2012) The Women in Emergency Medicine Mentoring Program: An Innovative Approach to Mentoring. Journal of Graduate Medical Education: September 2012, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 362-366.

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Group Mentorship

Can we bridge the gap between medical students and resident?

Can we improve mentorship of all genders? Does assigning a mentor really work?

Faculty

Residents Students?

Compared to faculty-student pairs, a near-peer mentoring program should:

Be more casual Provide a real glimpse into resident life Improve skills as a mentor and mentee for both

parties

Near-Peer Mentorship

Near-Peer Program Aims

Primary Provide a realistic

understanding of EM residency

Guide fourth-year students through the residency match

Secondary Augment emergency

medicine residents’ skills as effective mentors

Curricular Design

Resident Mentors

Volunteer Recruitment PGY 2 – PGY 4

Eligible E-Mail Orientation Resident Initiated

Curricular Design

Student Mentees

July – October Home & Away

Rotators “Opt Out” Participation

Curricular Design

Expectations At least one face-

to-face meeting during clinical rotation

Continued regular contact

Mentorship Guidance Follow-up e-mails

with mentoring tips Application

deadline reminders

Program Impact

Student Mentees Casual and open

relationship Decreased anxiety High personal

satisfaction

Resident Mentors Enhanced mentoring

skills Insights on receiving

future mentorship

Advanced Topics in Emergency Medicine

Kman, NE., et al. “Advanced topics in emergency medicine: curriculum development and initial evaluation.” Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, v. 12 issue 4, 2011, p. 543-50.

Grants and Programming

Grants and Programming

The OSU Tiered Mentorship Model

Each tiered group consists of at least one faculty member, one resident, one ATEM student, and one or more junior level medical students (MS1-3) interested in EM.

11 to 13 total groups. Students paired with mentors based on EM

interest or pre-existing relationship.

Kman NE, Bernard AB, Khandelwal S, Nagel RW, Martin DR. A Tiered Mentorship Program Improves Number of Students With an Identified Mentor. Teaching and Learning in Medicine. Vol. 25, Iss. 4, 2013.

The OSU Tiered Mentorship Model

Introductory meeting at EMIG: Introductory questionnaire sent out immediately after to begin roster of groups.

1st Small Group Meeting: Introductions, importance of mentorship and academic goals.

2nd Small Group Meeting: Lifestyle, hours and social aspects of their occupation.

EMIG/ATEM Panel Discussion: ATEM students reflect on experience with the Match.

Clinical Requirement

EMIG has a shadowing system set up where student can shadow EM faculty member.

Students do one shadowing shift with their faculty mentor and one with their resident mentor.

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The OSU Tiered Mentorship Program

“I have a mentor from the Department of Emergency Medicine (EM)”

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Gender in Mentorship Study

• 12 groups were formed in 2012-2013.• 3 of the 12 groups were comprised solely of females

• 2 of the groups were male exclusive.

• The remaining, mixed gender groups were formed based on common interest and included both males and females.

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• Majority disagreed with statement that the gender distribution of their group contributed to their experience.

“The gender distribution of my group contributed to my

experience”

Group Composition


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• Majority (86.4%) disagreed that they preferred faculty mentor of their gender.

• Majority disagreed that they preferred a group composed of single gender.

“I would prefer to be part of a group composed of only members of my

gender”

Group Composition


Gender in Mentorship Conclusions

Tiered-mentorship group structure allows students to identify a faculty member mentor, the gender of mentor and gender make-up of the group is less important.

The primary role of gender was not perceived to be of value to students.

Our findings led to the establishment of all mixed gender groups for this academic year.

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Pitfalls and Questions for the Panel

Assigning Mentors Group Size Authority Gradient Does gender matter?

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References

Kman NE, Bernard AB, Khandelwal S, Nagel RW, Martin DR. A Tiered Mentorship Program Improves Number of Students With an Identified Mentor. Teaching and Learning in Medicine. Vol. 25, Iss. 4, 2013.

Reisman AB, Gross CP. “Gender differences in the ability to identify a mentor at morning report: a multi-institutional survey.” Teach Learn Med. 2002 Fall; 14(4):236-9.

Welch JL, Jimenez HL, Walthall J, and Allen SE(2012) The Women in Emergency Medicine Mentoring Program: An Innovative Approach to Mentoring. Journal of Graduate Medical Education: September 2012, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 362-366.

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References

Medical School Based Mentoring Programs. AAMC 2010. Frei et al. Mentoring programs for medical students – a

review of the PubMed literature 2000 – 2008. BMC Medical Education 2010, 10:32.

B. Buddeberg-Fischer & K.-D. Herta. Formal mentoring programmes for medical students and doctors – a review of the Medline literature. Medical Teacher, Vol. 28, No. 3, 2006, pp. 248–257.


Resident and Faculty Panel:

Dr. Laura Espy Bell

Dr. Matthew Stull

With Dr. Robbie Paulsen