A study of 15 physician mentors focused on how mentors can help their research mentees during challenging times. The study found three main areas: 1) tactical strategies mentors used during challenging times (such as helping mentees identify diverse funding sources, encouraging consideration of alternative career options or areas of research focus); 2) psychological strategies used during challenging times (such as providing emotional support, coaching mentees' mindsets); and 3) overall mentoring philosophies and strategies for effective mentoring (such as providing support and honest feedback, and networking on behalf of the mentee). These approaches may transcend a specific crisis and be widely applicable during future challenging times in academic medicine, according to the study, “Research mentoring during times of crisis,” published last week in JAMA Network Open.
Alison Knopf (Fri,) studied this question.