Journal Article

Assessing the effects of a mentoring program on professional identity formation

Krishna, Lalit Kumar Radha, Chua, Keith Zi Yuan, Owyong, Jasmine Lerk Juan, Ong, Simon Yew Kuang, Teo, Kelly Jia Hui, Quek, Chrystie Wan Ning, Raveendran, Vijayprasanth, Yeoh, Ting Ting, Pisupati, Anushka, Ong, Yun Ting, Loh, Eleanor Kei Ying, Phua, Gillian Li Gek, Ng, Victoria Wen Wei, Venktaramana, Vaishnavi, Singh, Harpreet, Chiam, Min, Mason, Stephen, Hill, Ruaraidh, Teo, Mac Yu Kai, Ong, Eng Koon, Wong, Sabine Lauren Chyi Hui

2023

Overview

Background Medical education has enjoyed mixed fortunes nurturing professional identity formation (PIF), or how medical students think, feel and act as physicians. New data suggests that structured mentoring programs like the Palliative Medicine Initiative (PMI) may offer a means of developing PIF in a consistent manner. To better understand how a well-established structured research mentoring program shapes PIF, a study of the experiences of PMI mentees is proposed. Methodology Acknowledging PIF as a sociocultural construct, a Constructivist approach and Relativist lens were adopted for this study. In the absence of an effective tool, the Ring Theory of Personhood (RToP) and Krishna-Pisupati Model (KPM) model were used to direct this dual Systematic Evidence-Based Approach (Dual-SEBA) study in designing, employing and analysing semi-structured interviews with PMI mentees and mentoring diaries. These served to capture changes in PIF over the course of the PMI’s mentoring stages. Transcripts of the interviews and mentoring diaries were concurrently analysed using content and thematic analysis. Complementary themes and categories identified from the Split Approach were combined using the Jigsaw Approach and subsequently compared with mentoring diaries in the Funnelling Process. The domains created framed the discussion. Results A total of 12 mentee interviews and 17 mentoring diaries were analysed, revealing two domains—PMI as a Community of Practice (CoP) and Identity Formation. The domains confirmed the centrality of a structured CoP capable of facilitating longitudinal mentoring support and supporting the Socialisation Process along the mentoring trajectory whilst cultivating personalised and enduring mentoring relationships. Conclusion The provision of a consistent mentoring approach and personalised, longitudinal mentoring support guided along the mentoring trajectory by structured mentoring assessments lay the foundations for more effective mentoring programs. The onus must now be on developing assessment tools, such as a KPM-based tool, to guide support and oversight of mentoring relationships.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Academic Achievement / Assessment / Beliefs / Cancer / Communities of practice / Community Relations / Competence / Curricula / Diaries / Education / Environment / Ethics / Identity formation / International conferences / Interpersonal Relationship / Medical colleges / Medical Education / Medical profession / Medical research / Medical students / Medicine / Mentoring / Mentoring programs / Mentors / Palliative care / Palliative medicine / Periodicals / Personhood / Physicians / Professional identity / Professional identity formation / Professional relationships / Professionalism / Reflective Teaching / Role Models / Roles / Self Actualization / Social aspects / Social Networks / Socialization / Teaching Methods / Theory of Medicine/Bioethics / Values