Mentorship is a key component of the education and professional development of resident doctors. Mentorship fosters important network connections, supports residents in the development of their clinical, academic and non-academic skills, and helps to prepare the next generation of physicians for opportunities in academic and clinical areas of foci.
Mentors can become essential resources for advice and guidance pertaining to topics outside of the regular academic curriculum, such as research, career planning, networking, work-life balance, and transition into practice.
RDoC has advocated for structured organizational and program support for mentorship in residency programs. Our focus in this area includes:
- establishing a culture within Medical schools and their postgraduate departments that values and promotes mentorship;
- ensuring that both residents and mentors have clearly defined roles, responsibilities, goals, and training on how to be an effective mentor or mentee; and
- advocating for the development of practical resources and tools that support and foster mentoring relationships.