The Role of a 6-Month Primary Care Mentorship Program on Medical Student Residency Specialty

Abstract

in the State of Hawai'i, and the shortage is expected to worsen in the coming years. During the 2015-2016 academic year, a 6-month Primary Care Mentorship Program (PCMP) for first-year medical students was launched at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM). This study sought to determine (1) whether participation in a PCMP as a first-year medical student correlates with an increased likelihood of matching into a primary care graduate medical education (GME) residency specialty, (2) whether the PCMP medical student participants developed lasting mentorship relationships with their assigned mentor, and (3) whether a PCMP is a worthwhile endeavor for medical schools to incorporate into their structured undergraduate medical education curriculum. Mentees were surveyed before and after the PCMP and after the residency Match. Overall, 105 (36%) of the 288 students in the JABSOM classes of 2019-2022 have applied to participate in the PCMP. Seventeen (85%) of the 20 JABSOM class of 2019 PCMP mentees completed the post-Match reflection survey. The study found as follows: (1) participation in a 6-month PCMP as a first-year medical student does not correlate with an increased likelihood of matching into a primary care GME residency specialty, (2) 7 (41%) participants did continue their mentorship relationship following completion of the PCMP, and (3) overwhelmingly positive qualitative feedback from mentees and the number of mentees who did establish lasting mentorship relationships suggest a PCMP is a worthwhile endeavor for medical schools to implement.

Keywords: mentoring; primary care issues; undergraduate medical education.