Perceptions of Mentoring from Fourth Year Medical Students

This mixed-methods research study investigated medical students\u27 perspectives of professional mentoring through a web-based survey/needs assessment. The participants are fourth year medical students from three large urban research institutions and two regional branch campuses. The web-based survey/needs assessment was created, peer reviewed, and validated. A strategic sampling of focus groups was conducted to gather additional information regarding the results from the web-based survey. The information and data obtained from the survey and focus groups was used to provide recommendations for administrators and faculty about the mentoring program for each campus. A new proposed model of mentoring was developed upon analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data. The significance of this study includes not only the findings about medical school students\u27 perspectives of professional mentoring, but also the development of a validated assessment tool able to inform administrators about perceptions of their medical students