SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-A Structured Mentoring Program for Early Career Clinician Educators

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The document describes a structured mentoring program for early-career clinician educators at the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System and the University of Michigan Medical School.<br /><br />Mentorship is presented as a key factor in physician career development, improving promotion rates, scholarship, funding, retention, and job satisfaction. While mentoring is often aimed at physician-scientists on the tenure track, this program was designed for clinically focused faculty, especially junior clinician educators.<br /><br />Launched in 2019, the Clinician Mentoring Program invited all faculty with primary appointments at VA Ann Arbor below the rank of Clinical Associate Professor to form mentoring committees. Each committee included one chair and three to six members selected by the mentee and chair, with mentors chosen for leadership experience and expertise relevant to the mentee’s interests. Meetings lasted one hour and were held twice yearly, with a project manager coordinating scheduling, tracking progress, and gathering feedback. Discussions covered career goals, satisfaction, progress updates, and next steps.<br /><br />The team evaluated the program using a web-based survey called the Mentorship Meeting Assessment Tool (MMAT), which measured logistics, perceived progress, clarity of next steps, satisfaction, and burnout.<br /><br />Results showed that 25 mentees from 10 clinical sections enrolled, with 48 meetings held. The MMAT response rate was 100%. Three mentees (12%) were promoted to Clinical Associate Professor, and 22 (88%) remained in the program. Participant feedback was generally positive, with reports of improved satisfaction and reduced burnout.<br /><br />The authors conclude that a committee-based mentoring model for clinician educators can support professional development and promotion. They highlight the value of a centralized project manager and suggest that other hospital medicine programs consider implementing similar formal mentoring structures.

Asset Subtitle

Nathan Houchens

Meta Tag

Author List Grace Su, Latoya Kuhn, Nathan Houchens, Sanjay Saint

Category Research

Concept Mentorship

Concept Promotion

Concept Committee-Based Mentoring Program

Concept Mentorship Meeting Assessment Tool

Concept Centralized Formal Mentoring Program

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization University of Michigan and Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System

Presenting Author Nathan Houchens

Track Other

Keywords

mentoring program

clinician educators

Veterans Affairs

University of Michigan

career development

promotion

scholarship

burnout

committee-based mentoring

Mentorship Meeting Assessment Tool

Mentorship

Promotion

Committee-Based Mentoring Program

Mentorship Meeting Assessment Tool

Centralized Formal Mentoring Program