Mentorship in Otolaryngology: 10 Years of Experience

Objective The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s (ACGME) structuring of resident education attempts to utilize mentoring relationships to augment trainee development. The purpose of the current study is to better understand the nature of the mentor‐mentee relationship and find areas that should be strengthened or de‐emphasized. Method The Mentorship Program in the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Oregon Health and Science University has existed for 10 years. Mentor‐mentee pairs are assigned upon matriculation. Pairs are required to meet biannually at minimum. Guidelines for discussion topics are provided. All residents and faculty participants were surveyed online. Results Nineteen mentors and 24 mentees completed the survey, a 100% response rate. Mentor personality traits most important to residents were honesty/integrity (93%) and supportiveness (88%), while the least important characteristics were race (100%) and gender (83%). Mentor‐mentee pairs discussed a wide variety of topics. At the completion of training, only 26% of residents felt comfortable with transition to private practice and contract negotiations. These topics were also the least frequently discussed. Eighty‐three percent of trainees sought additional mentorship from other faculty. Eighty‐seven percent of mentors would not care if mentees changed mentors. Overall, 82% of participants endorsed continuing the program. Conclusion Mentorship programs are an effective tool in facilitating resident development. Residents would prefer choosing their own mentor and value honesty and supportiveness. Topics relating to private practice and contract negotiations were the areas of greatest discomfort for residents and the least frequently discussed. This represents an area for improvement.