Does Formal Mentoring for Faculty Members Matter? A Survey of Clinical Faculty in U.S. Medical Schools

Authors

Elza Mylona, Eastern Virginia Medical School
Linda Brubaker, Loyola University Chicago
Valerie Williams, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences CenterFollow
Karen Novielli, Sidney Kimmel Medical CollegeFollow
Jeffrey Lyness, University of Rochester
Susan Pollart, University of Virginia
Valerie Dandar, Association of American Medical Colleges
Sarah Bunton, Portland State UniversityFollow

Published In

Medical Education

Document Type

Citation

Publication Date

1-1-2016

Abstract

Background: Mentoring relationships, for all medical school faculty members, are an important component of lifelong development and education, yet an understanding of mentoring among medical school clinical faculty members is incomplete. This study examined associations between formal mentoring relationships and aspects of faculty members' engagement and satisfaction. It then explored the variability of these associations across subgroups of clinical faculty members to understand the status of mentoring and outcomes of mentoring relationships. The authors hypothesised that academic clinical faculty members currently in formal mentoring relationships experience enhanced employee engagement and satisfaction with their department and institution. Methods: Medical school faculty members at 26 self-selected USA institutions participated in the 2011-2014 Faculty Forward Engagement Survey. Responses from clinical faculty members were analysed for relationships between mentoring status and perceptions of engagement by faculty members. Results: Of the 11 953 clinical faculty respondents, almost one-third reported having a formal mentoring relationship (30%; 3529). Most mentored faculty indicated the relationship was important (86%; n = 3027), and over three-fourths were satisfied with their mentoring experience (77%; n = 2722). Mentored faculty members across ranks reported significantly higher levels of satisfaction and more positive perceptions of their roles in the organisation. Faculty members who were not receiving mentoring reported significantly less satisfaction with their workplace environment and lower overall satisfaction. Conclusions: Mentored clinical faculty members have significantly greater satisfaction with their department and institution. This multi-institutional study provides evidence that fostering mentoring opportunities may facilitate faculty members' satisfaction and engagement, which, in turn, may help medical schools retain high-quality faculty staff committed to the multidimensional academic mission.

Rights

Copyright 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Description

Copyright 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Locate the Document

https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.12972

DOI

10.1111/medu.12972

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/27845

Citation Details

Mylona, E., Brubaker, L., Williams, V. N., Novielli, K. D., Lyness, J. M., Pollart, S. M., … Bunton, S. A. (2016). Does formal mentoring for faculty members matter? A survey of clinical faculty members. Medical Education, 50(6), 670–681.