Evaluation of a mentoring program for junior medical staff at a tertiary paediatric hospital: Uptake, impact and sustainability

Abstract

Introduction: Mentoring for doctors has benefits for mentors, mentees and their employment organisations. There are emerging examples of formal mentoring programs in hospitals. There remains limited published data evaluating self-selection models for participant satisfaction and long-term outcomes. Our aim was to explore the experience of mentors and mentees who opted in to the dyad mentoring program at the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) to understand the longevity of the mentoring relationships and to understand the utilisation of the supporting mentoring tools. Methods: A mixed-methods study was conducted. In 2020, 174 eligible doctors were invited to complete a survey containing multiple-choice and Likert-scale questions to explore Moore’s outcome levels for evaluating continuing medical education. Of the eligible cohort, 66 (38%) responded, and of these, 14 volunteered for in-depth individual interviews. Descriptive statistics from survey responses were used to calculate number and frequency of responses, and inductive thematic analysis was used to identify themes from transcribed interviews as part of a phenomenological approach. Results: One third of mentees and 68.8% (22/32) of mentors reported ongoing relationships beyond the 10-month formal program. A “cycle of mentoring” was evident, with mentees returning to the program as mentors. Four key qualitative themes were identified: “broad benefits” of mentoring, “it’s a relationship and it takes work”, “giving back” and “program foundations”. Outcomes in domains of participation, satisfaction, learning and organisational culture change were identified. Conclusion: The mentoring program at RCH has demonstrated positive impact and long-term sustainability. The program structure could be replicated in different settings.