RESEARCH ARTICLE Mentoring in general surgery in Switzerland

Background: Mentorship has been found as a key factor for a successful and satisfying career in academic medicine and surgery. The present study was conducted to describe the current situation of mentoring in the surgical community in Switzerland and to evaluate sex differences regarding the impact of mentoring on career success and professional satisfaction. Methods: The study was designed as an anonymous national survey to all members of the Swiss Surgical Society in 2011 (820 ordinary and 49 junior members). It was a 25-item questionnaire addressing mentor mentee relationships and their impact on the professional front. Results: Of the 869 mailed surveys, 512 responses were received (response rate: 58.9%). Mentormentee relationships were reported by 344 respondents (68.1%) and structured mentoring programs were noted in 23 respondents (6.7%). Compared to individuals without mentors, male mentees exhibited significantly higher subjective career advancement (5.491.2 vs. 5.091.3; p0.03) and career development (3.391.9 vs. 2.591.7; pB0.01) scores, but the differences for female mentees were not statistically significant (4.791.1 vs. 4.391.2, p0.16; 2.591.6 vs. 1.991.4, p0.26; respectively). The pursuit of an academic career was not influenced by the presence of a mentormentee relationship for female (p0.14) or male participants (p0.22). Conclusions: Mentormentee relationships are important for the career advancement of male surgeons. Th