Mentoring Networks in Academic Medicine: A Longitudinal Exploration.

The importance of ethnic and gender representation in academic medicine is of paramount importance. While mentoring effectively attracts and retains underrepresented individuals, scientists from underrepresented groups face barriers to high-quality mentorship. The developmental network model by Higgins and Kram suggests that a variety of people with unique knowledge, connections, and resources can help propel an individual's career and personal growth. This study experimentally tested the outcomes of a workshop series and mentorship program to assist early-career biomedical investigators from predominantly minority institutions establish and maintain developmental networks. This study provides preliminary insights into the characteristics of these developmental networks for investigators with different funding goals and how these networks evolve, potentially impacting career trajectories.

Design and Implementation of a Mentorship Education Program at Xavier University of Louisiana: Impact and Lessons Learned.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), such as Xavier University of Louisiana (Xavier), have strong cultures of mentoring underrepresented students. We report on the design and implementation of the Preparing Mentors and Advisors at Xavier (P-MAX) Program, a mentor-training program at an HBCU. Over half of the full-time Xavier faculty members have participated in at least one P-MAX event over the life of the Program, with about 60% completing the 8-hour foundational workshop. Pre/post program self-assessments indicate that mentors report significant increases in both their mentoring skills and confidence. Recommendations to consider when designing and implementing a mentor training program are provided. These range from being thoughtful about who delivers the mentoring lessons to paying close attention to the specific audience and institutional culture.

Perceptions in Mentorship: The Mentor-Mentee Competency Discrepancy.

This study evaluated faculty mentoring competencies of 94 mentor-mentee pairs across institutions using the Mentoring Competency Assessment (MCA-21). Results indicated consistent mentor self-assessments and mentee evaluations of mentors across sites, with no significant association of gender or race/ethnicity on competency scoring. Mentees rated mentors higher than mentor's self-assessments. The greatest self-assessment disparities were within the female clinical educator and female assistant professor mentor groups - they rated their competency lower than the male tenure track and male professor groups, identifying the influence of mentors' gender, rank, and track on self-assessment of their mentoring competency. Results highlight the subjective elements inherent in mentor competency evaluations. Additional multi-site, longitudinal studies of the mentor-mentee dyad could identify precise training needs to enhance mentoring.

Measuring Faculty Mentoring Competency: Establishing the Validity of a Short Form.

This paper describes the procedures for evaluating the psychometric properties of the 26-item Mentoring Competency Assessment (MCA) scale and developing short-forms to measure faculty mentoring outcomes for the NIH-funded Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative and National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN). Analyses were conducted using responses to the MCA scale from NRMN mentors and faculty across 11 BUILD institutions in the 2017-18 academic year. After performing extensive item factor analyses and taking the MCA sub-constructs into analytical consideration, we created an 8-item short form and a 14-item short form. Analyses indicate that both short forms nearly equivalently measure faculty mentoring competency and are more feasible to implement in future studies, compared to the original, longer scale.

Allyship, authenticity and agency: The Triple A Model of Social Justice Mentoring.

This conceptual review explores the full potential of mentoring for diversity initiatives. Using a positive relationships lens, I describe how focusing on average relationships obscures the benefits of high-quality mentoring and how traditional views of mentoring as hierarchical, one-way relationships limit our understanding of its role in advancing social justice. Addressing these limitations, I extend relational mentoring and diversified mentoring theories to introduce the Triple A Model of Social Justice Mentoring. This model holds that the effects of high-quality mentoring extend beyond the relationship to influence social justice outcomes. Both members can learn about diversity and experience relational dynamics that foster allyship, agentic empowerment and authentic identities. Implications for formal mentoring, diverse friendships, mentoring episodes and high-quality connections are discussed.

Multidisciplinary team training in postpartum hemorrhage: impact on the use of blood products.

Objective: Compare the number of puerperal women submitted to blood transfusion before and after the implementation of a care protocol for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) with multidisciplinary team training. Methods: Cross-sectional study in a university hospital, analyzing births from 2015 to 2019, compared the use of blood products before and after the adoption of a PPH protocol with multidisciplinary training. Results: Between 2015 and 2019, there were 17,731 births, with 299 (1.7%) postpartum women receiving blood products and 278 postpartum women were considered for this analysis, 128 (0.7%) at Time 1 and 150 (0.8%) at Time 2. After the multiprofessional team training (T2), there was a difference in the complete use of the PPH protocol (use of oxytocin, misoprostol and tranexamic acid) (T1 = 5.1% x T2 = 49.5%, p≤0.0001). An individual categorized analysis revealed that, in the T2 period, there was lower use of blood component units per patient compared to T1 (Mann-Whitney, p=0.006). It should be noted that at T1 and T2, 54% and 24% respectively received two units of blood products. It is important to highlight that after the multidisciplinary team training for the PPH protocol, the goal of zero maternal death due to hemorrhage was reached. Conclusion: The adoption of a specific protocol for PPH, combined with the training of a multidisciplinary team, had an impact on the ability to identify women at high risk of hemorrhage, resulting in a decrease in the use of blood components.

The Neuroscience Research Opportunities to Increase Diversity Program: Transformative and Successful Research Training Strategies for Undergraduate Students within Hispanic Serving Institutions.

Over the past 14 years, the Neuroscience Research Opportunities to Increase Diversity (NeuroID) program, funded by the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS), has played a transformative role in training numerous undergraduate Hispanic students within The University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras (UPR-RP). This innovative Neuroscience-based research training initiative has successfully guided dozens of Hispanic students toward graduate programs in Neuroscience, significantly contributing to the enhancement of diversity within the academic and scientific fields. The achievements of the NeuroID program can be attributed to three key objectives. Firstly, the establishment of a comprehensive and innovative program has provided Hispanic undergraduate students with invaluable insights into various facets of a research career in neuroscience. Secondly, the program has fostered a robust mentorship network that supports selected students throughout their journey to become neuroscientists. Thirdly, it has strengthened the neuroscience network in Puerto Rico by bridging the gap between undergraduate teaching universities and research laboratories in top-tier institutions across the mainland United States.

Associations of an Online Health Coaching Intervention with Movement Behaviors and Perceived Health: A Mediation Analysis.

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of an online coaching intervention that included goal setting with movement behaviors and perceived general health (GH) and emotional wellbeing (EW) in college students. Participants were college students from a university within the western United States (N=257; 57.2% female). Participants met with health coaches in an online setting for one hour and goals were set for physical activity (PA) and/or sleep duration. PA, sleep duration, and perceptions of GH and EW were collected at baseline and at 2- and 4-weeks after the coaching session within a single arm research design. Mediation analyses determined the indirect effect (IE) of each movement behavior both after the health coaching session and after goal setting on the GH and EW outcomes in addition to the bidirectional association between GH and EW. No movement behavior positively mediated the associations with GH or EW after the health coaching session or after goal setting, although after goal setting PA and weeknight sleep at 2-weeks associated with GH at 4-weeks (ß=0.16-0.39, p<0.01) and associated with EW at 4-weeks (ß=0.22-0.25, p<0.01). EW mediated the associations of the health coaching session on GH (IE=0.19, p<0.001) and GH mediated the association of the health coaching session on emotional wellbeing (IE=0.09, p<0.001). In conclusion, movement behaviors correlated with GH and EW, but no positive mediating associations were observed. After the health coaching session, EW mediated the association with GH and vice-versa, suggesting a bidirectional association between the two health perceptions.

Telehealth for Rare Disease Care, Research, and Education Across the Globe: A Review of the Literature by the IRDiRC Telehealth Task Force.

The International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) Telehealth (TH) Task Force explored the use of TH for improving diagnosis, care, research, and education for rare diseases (RDs). The Task Force reviewed related literature published from January 2017 to August 2023, and identified various models and implementation strategies of TH for RD. The Task Force highlighted the reported values and benefits of using TH for RDs, along with the limitations and opportunities. The number of publications sharply increased since 2021, coinciding with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the rapid adoption of TH in many healthcare settings. One of the major benefits of TH for RDs lies in its capacity to surmount geographical barriers, which helps in overcoming the constraints posed by limited numbers and geographical dispersion of specialists. This was evident during the pandemic when TH was used to maintain a level of continued medical care and research when face-to-face visits were severely restricted. TH, through which clinical research can be decentralized, can also facilitate and enhance RD research by decreasing burden, expanding access, and enhancing efficiency. This will be especially beneficial when coupled with the adoption of digital health technologies, such as mobile health (mHealth) and wearable devices for remote monitoring (i.e., surveillance of outpatient data transmitted through devices), along with big data solutions. TH has also been shown to be an effective means for RD education and peer mentoring, enabling local health care providers (HCPs) to care for RD patients, which indirectly ensures that RD patients get the expertise and multidisciplinary care they need. However, limitations and weaknesses associated with using TH for RD care and research were also identified, including the inability to perform physical examinations and build relationships with HCPs. Therefore, TH has been recommended as a complement to, rather than substitute for, face-to-face consultations. There is also a concern that TH may lead to an amplification of health disparities and inequities related to social determinants of health for those with RDs due to lack of access to TH technologies, inadequate digital literacy, and geographical, socio-cultural, and linguistic barriers. Finally, the Task Force also discussed evidence and knowledge gaps that will benefit from future research efforts to help advance and expand the use of TH for RD care, research, and education.

Mentoring for Admission and Retention of Black Socio-Ethnic Minorities in Medicine: A Scoping Review.

Purpose: Despite numerous mentoring strategies to promote academic success and eligibility in medicine, Black students remain disproportionately underrepresented in medicine. Therefore, we conducted a scoping review to identify the mentoring practices available to Black pre-medical students, medical students and medical residents, specifically the mentoring strategies used, their application, and their evaluation. Method: Between May 2023 and October 2023, the authors conducted a literature review. Studies that described a mentoring strategy applied among Black learners were eligible for inclusion, and all years of publication were included. Two reviewers screened each article using the Covidence tool, and conflicts were resolved by a third author. All reviewers extracted the data to summarize the various mentoring practices. Results: After screening 6292 articles, 42 articles met the criteria for full review. Of these, 14 studies were included in the study. Mentoring practices for Black students included peer mentoring, dyad mentoring, and group mentoring. Mentoring was typically offered through discussion groups, educational internships, and didactic activities. Evaluation of mentoring programs took into account (1) pass rates on medical exams (eg, MCAT, Casper), (2) receipt of an invitation to a medical school admissions interview, (3) successful match to a competitive residency program, and (4) a mentee's report of the overall experience and effectiveness of the program. Conclusion: This review is the first, to our knowledge, to focus on mentoring strategies implemented among Black learners in medicine. The results will inform mentoring strategies adapted for Black learners and will therefore address the underrepresentation of Black students in medicine.

Developing a Career-Focused, Diverse Mentoring Program for Underrepresented STEM Undergraduates.

The racial and gender composition of the STEM workforce and holders of advanced degrees still has low representation from those traditionally underrepresented groups (URGs) in STEM. Having little representation of URGs in the STEM workforce, especially among academic faculty, perpetuates the issue of STEM students having few, if any, diverse STEM faculty to engage which has been shown to hinder retention in STEM. While involving STEM students from URGs in research mentoring experiences with non-minority faculty mentors addresses this issue to some extent, it also may limit a student's exposure to STEM careers beyond academic research which may help retain them. Thus, the UMBC STEM BUILD program developed and implemented a career-focused mentoring program that included a broad array of STEM professions from URGs to support career development of 2nd year STEM students.

Developing implant mentoring programmes: breaking down the components.

Mentoring has been identified as a key component of training in implant dentistry. However there has been little guidance about how this should take place, the expected outcomes, who should be providing mentoring, and the processes involved. Dentists are required to ensure they are appropriately trained, competent and confident when undertaking clinical tasks. Mentoring will play a key role in giving assurance that these are in place. This article, which is partly based on the College of General Dentistry publication Mentoring in Implant Dentistry: Good Practice Guidelines, provides background and context to the role of mentoring in implant dentistry training programmes. Key components of structured mentoring programmes are described to assist mentors, mentees, and implant education providers.

15 Years of Inclusive Employment in a Down Syndrome Clinic.

BACKGROUND: Adults with intellectual disabilities have high rates of unemployment and underemployment. Despite benefits to employers and employees, some groups may be hesitant to implement inclusive employment programs due to lack of knowledge, absence of well-defined strategies, and limited exposure to successful examples. OBJECTIVE: To address this gap, the Down Syndrome Program (DSP) in a New England tertiary pediatric hospital established an inclusive employment program that supports and trains young adults with Down syndrome in the development of foundational job skills within a hospital-based clinic. METHODS: This case study examines strategies and lessons learned from the employment program's implementation and evolution. RESULTS: Successful implementation required iterative, tailored approaches to meet diverse needs. CONCLUSION: The DSP developed a framework and collection of best practices for other organizations to adopt for successful employment of individuals with disabilities under an inclusive employment model.

Mentoring up: How mentorship training influences mentee intent to change behavior.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate data from different implementations of the Mentoring Up curriculum, designed by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research. The study investigated the relationship between participants' self-reported change in mentoring competence and the behaviors they intended to implement post-training. Methods: The data set included 401 respondents who consented to participate after 59 Mentoring Up training events hosted by 34 institutions between 2015 and 2022. Responses to the Mentoring Competency Assessment (MCA) were analyzed to determine which factors were related to self-reported changes in participants' mentoring competencies post-training. Results: Quantitative analysis showed that intent to change, perceived value of training, training modality, and prior mentor training were all significantly associated with the magnitude of change in MCA scores between pre- and post-tests. Further, participants who engaged in face-to-face training found significantly more value in the training than those who participated online. Analysis of open-ended questions demonstrated that participants with larger changes in MCA scores were more likely to address core principles of Mentoring Up curriculum when discussing their behavior change plans post-training. Conclusion: Participants improved their mentoring competence by participating in the Mentoring Up curriculum, and this change was significantly and practically associated with an intent to modify their behavior in their mentoring relationships.

Exploring Organizational Digital Readiness to Offer Youth E-Mentoring.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted many youth mentoring programs to offer digital services (e-mentoring). The sustained success of these efforts depended, in large part, on organizations' digital readiness. Although there are established, broad measures of digital readiness, mentoring organizations have unique requirements for readiness that have not been previously measured. The current cross-sectional survey research study measured the state of digital readiness for youth mentoring organizations and tested the organizational E-Mentoring Readiness Scale. Ninety-five representatives from U.S. mentoring programs completed an online survey. Participants felt mentors, mentees, and families were moderately comfortable with e-mentoring. There was less confidence and comfort with the required technology and execution of e-mentoring. A confirmatory factor analysis of the E-Mentoring Readiness Scale showed two distinct but related factors with good model fit. An honest assessment using this tool may allow the youth mentoring field to move into the digital age more seamlessly.

Design, Implementation, and Adaptation of a Tutoring Program for the Competency Development of New Nurses in a Hospital Emergency Department.

The healthcare environment faced by nurses is complex, with high workloads and situations of high comorbidity. The integration of nurses into the work environment is a cause for concern, and improvements are sought for their incorporation into the workforce. The benefits of mentoring programs are described not only for nurses but also for patients with safer practices and benefits for the institution due to the increased commitment of its professionals. A methodological article that illustrates the complete process to design and implement a tutoring program for new nurses in an emergency department is presented. The competency profile required for the figure of tutor was developed, including the steps followed for the development of the program and the structure and phases of which it is composed, as well as the validation of the evaluation instruments of the process. A strength was the participation of experts during the in-depth analysis of the competency profile, as well as in the adaptation of the evaluation items, which endorses the pertinence, relevance, usefulness, and clarity of the content of this program. The transparency in this methodology makes it possible to follow the steps for its reproduction and applicability in other hospitals.

Mentoring as a Buffer for the Impact of Social Unrest due to Systemic Racism and Ambient Discrimination.

Mentoring may act as a buffer for the negative impacts of racial trauma. Building Up (conducted 2020-2024) is a cluster-randomized trial at 25 institutions of postdoctoral fellows and early-career faculty from underrepresented backgrounds. Generalized linear mixed models were used to identify mentoring competencies associated with the impact of social unrest due to systemic racism. Eighty-two percent of participants (n=143) identified as female, 33% as non-Hispanic Black, and 36% as Hispanic. Mentoring that aligns expectations and mentoring that assesses understanding were significantly associated with social unrest due to systemic racism impacting ability to work (OR=2.84 and OR=0.52, respectively) and conduct research (OR=4.21 and OR=0.41, respectively). Future research should elucidate specific aspects of mentoring relationships that serve as a buffer during times of social unrest.

Students' Perception of Peer- Students Mentoring Program "Big Sibling Mentoring Program" to Complement Faculty Mentoring of First-Year Medical Students in Saudi Arabia.

Background: The Big Sibling Program is an innovative peer student mentoring method that was designed and implemented by the students' council in 2021 to complement the faculty mentoring program of first-year medical students in the College of Medicine, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. The aim of the study was to evaluate the medical students' perception of the peer students "Big Sibling" mentoring program and to assess the effectiveness of the program in terms of changes in the behavior and academic performance of the students. Methods: This is a retrospective study that was conducted in 2021. A registration form that includes demographic data, personal information, and academic performance (GPA and extracurricular achievements) was sent to all second- and third-year medical students to select the Big Siblings. A total of 49 mentors "Big Siblings" were accepted (30 males, 19 females) and matched randomly with the little siblings from first-year medical students. A written consent was obtained from the participants. The survey was structured on a 5-point Likert scale, and composed of four sections of closed-ended questions, that includes: the demographic data, the students' (little sibling) evaluation of the mentorship sessions, the little sibling perception of the Big Sibling Program and its effectiveness of the Big Sibling Program in terms of behavioral or quality effects. Results: Out of 297 first-year medical students, 284 (95.62%) responded. The majority significantly agreed that the Big Sibling was readily available and they personally benefitted from the relationship (94.36%, p<0.001; 90.14%, p<0.001). They significantly disagreed that the relationship requires too much time (72.54%, p<0.001) or that they do not need a mentor (78.87%, p<0.001). Most significantly agreed that mentoring is a good idea (94.37%, p<0.001), the program helped reduce their stress (84.51%, p<0.001), helped them adjust to college (89.44%, p<0.001), and advance academically (78.52%, p<0.001). The program also encouraged their involvement in extracurricular activities (58.10%, p<0.0001), research (43.31%, p<0.001), and social engagement with peers (71.48%, p<0.001). Moreover, the majority thought the program significantly improved their self-confidence (73.94%, p<0.001), self-awareness (84.51%), accountability (54.51%), leadership (54.93%), resilience (71.13%), punctuality (69.01%, p<0.001), time management (75.70%), stress coping (77.82%), problem-solving (76.76%), and teamwork (75.35%). Conclusion: Peer students' big Siblings program has succeeded in reducing first-year medical students stress levels, improving their self-confidence, self-awareness, accountability and responsibility, leadership, resilience, punctuality and engaging them in research and extracurricular activities.

Changing the Approach in Supporting and Advancing Underrepresented in Medicine (UIM) Medical Students.

Introduction: Research has shown the importance of diversity in improving patient care. Medical students from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine (UIM) face unique challenges, including minority tax, stereotype threat, and expectations to be the sole representative of their identity group. Mentors must be aware of these challenges and develop skills to address them. Methods: We designed a 90-minute workshop about the challenges UIM students encounter in medical school and best practices in mentorship. Target audience and facilitators were undergraduate medical educators. Three videos and questions for case-based facilitated small-group discussion with medical school faculty and administrators were included. Using a retrospective pre-post design, we elicited participants' confidence level in recognizing and addressing issues UIM students may experience and plans to apply skills gained in the workshop. Results: Workshop participants (N = 57) reported a mean increase in confidence rating of 20-26 points out of 100 for recognizing, identifying, and applying skills related to optimal UIM mentorship (mean confidence: 53-60 preworkshop, 79-81 postworkshop). Participants also reported a mean of 82 in readiness to apply skills learned. Participants rated the workshop a 4.6 in overall helpfulness on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = not helpful, 5 = extremely helpful). Discussion: Health care professionals working with UIM medical students have an essential role in mentorship and support. This workshop provides a structured forum to discuss challenges and build awareness, comfort, and skills regarding engaging in meaningful discussions about race and the experiences of medical students, even when identities are incongruent.

[Representation of women in senior positions in emergency medicine]. / Repräsentation von Frauen in leitenden Positionen der Akut- und Notfallmedizin.

BACKGROUND: Gender equality and the empowerment of women is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals formulated by the United Nations. Gender-specific inequalities still exist, especially in medicine. Women are particularly lacking in leadership positions and in visible roles outside of patient care, such as at conferences and in scientific journals. AIM: The aim of the study was to analyse the proportion of women in leadership positions in emergency medicine and the visible roles at emergency medicine conferences and scientific journals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A selective literature search in PubMed and an evaluation of the conference programmes from 2020-2021 as well as the editorial boards of journals were conducted with regard to the proportion of women. RESULTS: Women continue to be significantly underrepresented on the editorial boards of emergency medicine journals and on the boards of leading emergency medicine organisations. Internationally, there are already programmes to increase the proportion of women in field of publications and scientific conferences; to date, there are only a few such programmes for women in emergency medicine in Germany. CONCLUSION: Women in healthcare in general and in emergency medicine in particular are not equally represented outside of patient care. To date, there are hardly any programmes to promote women in emergency medicine in Germany. Mentoring, collegial support and organisational change are key to increasing the proportion of women in nonpatient care roles in emergency medicine.