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Han ER, Chung EK, Oh SA, Woo YJ, Hitchcock MA
Correspondence: Dr Eun-Kyung Chung, ekcmedu@chonnam.ac.kr
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Effective mentoring helps interns in the early stages of their medical career to reach personal and professional goals. This study investigated the mentoring experience of Korean interns during medical internship and evaluated mentoring effects to facilitate the development of future mentoring programmes.
METHODS Participants were interns being trained at Chonnam National University Hospital, South Korea, in 2011. Interns were asked to complete a questionnaire about their mentoring experiences and job satisfaction.
RESULTS A total of 61 medical interns participated in the study, giving a response rate of 70.1%. Among these interns, 26 (42.6%) had mentoring experiences, with an average of 2.3 ± 1.9 mentors per mentee. Mentees usually discussed career planning and concerns regarding their personal and social lives with their mentors. Perceived quality of the mentor was signifi cantly more important for male mentees than for female mentees. Female interns without a mentor made signifi cantly less effort to seek a mentor than their male counterparts. Having and not having a mentor resulted in significant differences in the interns’ job satisfaction.
CONCLUSION Fewer than half of the medical interns had mentoring experiences. Results suggest that the mentoring relationship may be less satisfying and more challenging for female interns. Effective mentoring may not only help interns plan their medical career, but also increase job satisfaction. Mentoring programmes during medical internship should be expanded and supported, as it is the initial step in a medical career.
Keywords: career counselling, internship, job satisfaction, mentorships
Singapore Med J 2014; 55(11): 593-597; http://dx.doi.org/10.11622/smedj.2014157
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