Exploring the possibility of one-on-one mentoring as an alternative to the current student support system in medical education

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of mentoring as an alternative to the current student support system based on our experiences of developing, operating, and evaluating a mentoring program. METHODS: In 2014 and 2015, a total of 29 mentoring pairs were selected to be trained as mentors and mentees. The mentoring program was evaluated by the following methods. First, at the end of the one-on-one mentoring program, the mentee made a presentation summarizing their experiences and submitted a portfolio. Second, suggestions from the mentors and mentees were gathered from a survey and from a focus group interview. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, frequency, and the Mann-Whitney U-test using SPSS version 21.0. RESULTS: One-on-one mentoring sessions were carried out an average of five times during the semester. The topics of discussion were very diverse, including career coaching, personal counselling, journal club, field trips, leisure activities, and volunteering. Mentors and mentees showed high satisfaction rates regarding the content and administration of the program (mentors: 4.15±0.59, mentees: 4.00±1.58). However, the duration of the mentoring program was given a comparatively low rating (mentors: 3.15±1.09, mentees:3.24±1.03). CONCLUSION: Overall, the implementation of the mentoring program was successful. Based on the content of the main activities, we can confirm the possibility of implementing an individualized support program for solving the mentoring issues faced by medical students.