Purpose: To evaluate the role of scholarly peer-mentorship at a single institution and identify areas for improvement.
Background: ACGME requires participation in scholarly activity as a training requirement for OBGYN residents, commonly accomplished through research. Designing and completing a research project in residency can be challenging given clinical workload and time constraints. Peer-mentorship may increase residents’ access to involvement in research projects, further promoting scholarly activity throughout residency. The effectiveness of peer-mentorship in academic medicine is understudied.
Methods: An anonymous 18-question Qualtrics survey was distributed to OBGYN residents at Yale New Haven Hospital. The survey evaluated resident opinions on accessibility of research/research mentors and desire for formalized peer-mentorship infrastructure. Descriptive analysis of the survey results was performed.
Results: Of 32 surveys sent, 24 (75%) residents responded. Of the respondents, 58% were junior (PGY1 or 2) and 42% were senior (PGY3 or 4). 63% reported ranking OBGYN residencies based on perceived research opportunities. The average number of active research projects was 1.4 and 3.1 for PGY1-2 and PGY3-4, respectively. Of the respondents, 79% have a faculty research mentor and 13% have a peer research mentor. The majority of the respondents (88%) would “opt-in” to a peer research mentorship program.
Discussions: Our data supports a strong desire for peer-mentor research infrastructure at our institution. The difference in scholarly activity between PGY1-2 and PGY3-4 emphasizes the potential for success of a peer-mentorship program. In response, a peer-mentorship infrastructure was created in the Spring of 2021 with plans to pair junior and senior residents in the Fall of 2021.
Topics: CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2022, Resident, Faculty, Residency Director, Professionalism, Interpersonal & Communication Skills, GME, Independent Study, Team-Based Learning,
Christopher Arkfeld, MD, Yale; Jennifer Cate, MD; Melissa Markowitz, MD; Sangini Sheth, MD, MPH, FACOG; Vikki Abrahams, PhD; Julia Cron, MD
