Near-peer mentoring to complement faculty mentoring of first-year medical students in India.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

The first year is stressful for new medical students who have to cope with curricular challenges, relocation issues, and separation from family. Mentoring reduces stress and facilitates adaptation. A program for faculty mentoring of first-semester students was initiated by the Medical Education Unit in 2009 at University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi. Feedback after the first year revealed that mentees were reluctant to meet their mentors, some of whom were senior faculty. In the following year, student mentors (near-peers) were recruited to see if that would improve the rate and quality of contact between mentees and mentors.

Methods

Volunteer faculty (n=52), near-peers (n=57), and new entrants (n=148) admitted in 2010 participated in the ratio of 1:1:3. The pr

SUBMITTER: Singh S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4309947 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature