Mentorship in Undergraduate Biomedical Education: Identifying Student Opinions and Expectations

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate undergraduate biomedical education student opinions and expectations on mentorship. METHODS: A survey was administered to students enrolled in the undergraduate biology, neuroscience and nursing programs at a large public research-intensive university. The survey queried demographics, previous mentorship experiences, ideal qualities of mentors, benefits/value of mentorship and future plans for seeking mentorship. Survey responses were evaluated using either t-test comparisons or one-way ANOVA. RESULTS: The majority of the respondents were female and were interested in pursuing professional schools (nursing and medicine). Survey results indicate high student interest in receiving mentoring, but few were active participants in a mentoring relationship. Respondents indicated either lack of knowledge or discomfort in identifying a mentor. While faculty mentors versus peer mentors were preferred, respondents indicated that mentoring by either faculty or peers would be of value. Survey results indicate that desired benefits of mentoring included guidance in future education and career decisions, networking and career advice. CONCLUSION: The major conclusions are that despite high student interest in being mentored, their participation in mentoring is very low. These finding are supportive of the development of structured mentoring programs to facilitate and enhance mentoring of undergraduate STEM students and aid in their academic career progression.