Impact of a Mentorship Program to Prepare Medical Students for the Military Residency Match

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction Mentorship programs have well-documented benefits to both mentees and mentors. Military medical students face unique challenges in medical school given their service-specific requirements and separate military match process. We therefore aimed to determine whether military medical students’ participation in a mentorship program impacts their confidence in applying to obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) residency. Materials and Methods First, a needs assessment survey regarding the use of a mentorship program was sent to medical students, residents, fellows, and attendings. A structured mentorship program was then developed for military medical students applying to OB/GYN residency based on the survey results. Mentors were randomly paired with mentees and asked to appraise curriculum vitaes, review personal statements, and perform mock interviews. Following completion of these activities, participants were sent a post-intervention questionnaire. This project was exempt by our institution’s Institutional Review Board. Results Our program had 56 participants, with 29 individuals completing our post-intervention survey (response rate 51.8%). After participating in the program, 92.3% of mentors stated they plan to continue a relationship with their mentee. All the mentee respondents stated they would participate in this program again. Before participating in the program, 16.7% of mentees felt “prepared” or “extremely prepared” for the match, compared to 87.6% post-intervention. Most mentee respondents (75%) reported that this program made them a more competitive applicant. Following the mentorship program, 66.7% of participants successfully matched into OB/GYN residency. Conclusions This reproducible, well-received intervention can be implemented to facilitate mentoring connections regardless of geographic location. As the OB/GYN specialty develops its own application process, civilian medical schools should consider adopting similar programs to aid their students in navigating the match process.