Surgery Acting Internship Individual Learning Plans: Fostering Mentorship in the COVID-19 Era

OBJECTIVE: Mentorship facilitates successful matching for surgical specialties. A formal mentorship plan may counteract restricted mentorship opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: We surveyed medical students applying to surgery specialties who participated in our formalized mentorship program (MF) and those of a prior cohort who were informally mentored (MI). Epistemic Network Analysis was used to model qualitative responses. SETTING: University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. PARTICIPANTS: Fourth-year medical students who matched into ACGME-accredited surgical specialties. RESULTS: MF students (n = 12) met with their mentors more frequently than MI students (n = 13; p = 0.03). Both groups received career guidance, letters of recommendation and application preparation. However, the MI cohort reported greater psychological and emotional support whereas the MF cohort reported more assistance with skills development. CONCLUSIONS: A formalized mentorship program fostered successful mentoring relationships despite limitations from the COVID-19 pandemic. (C) 2022 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Automated summary

Medical students in surgical specialties who participate in a formalized mentorship program have more frequent mentor meetings and receive support in career guidance, letters of recommendation, and application preparation. However, compared to informal mentorship, the formal program may lack psychological and emotional support while providing more assistance in skills development.