The Mentee Perspective: Evaluating Mentorship of Medical Students in the Field of Orthopaedic Surgery

Abstract

Introduction: Mentorship is an invaluable facet of medical education. The purpose of this study was to analyze medical student perspectives of mentorship they received and the influence this has on their participation in the field of orthopaedic surgery. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of medical students interested in pursuing orthopaedic surgery through an 18-question survey distributed through social media and e-mail. Results: Two hundred fifteen students completed this survey, with over 50% of students reporting that they have a mentor in orthopaedic surgery while 34% were actively seeking one. Most students found mentors through research opportunities (25%) and cold e-mails (20%). Common hurdles to mentorship were access (38%) and finding common time (30%). Peer mentorship had a higher mean satisfaction score in all domains, except facilitating matching, and there was a significant difference between groups (e.g., peer mentor versus program director; P < 0.001). Sex, race, and degree type were not significantly related to students' access to or their evaluation of mentors (P > 0.05 for all). Conclusion: Overall, this study demonstrates that medical students across the nation rely on mentorship to guide them on their path to becoming an orthopaedic surgeon.