Voluntary peer-mentoring program for undergraduate medical students: exploring the experiences of mentors and mentees

Purpose We aimed to examine the participants’ satisfaction and evaluation of the program’s appropriateness, outcomes and benefits from participants’ perspectives and gather suggestions from students to improve peer mentor programs. Methods From 2016 to 2018, 67 mentees and mentors participated in th...

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Main Authors: Mina Cho, Yoon-Seon Lee
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Korean Society of Medical Education 2021-09-01
Series:Korean Journal of Medical Education
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.kjme.kr/upload/pdf/kjme-2021-198.pdf
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author Mina Cho
Yoon-Seon Lee
author_facet Mina Cho
Yoon-Seon Lee
author_sort Mina Cho
collection DOAJ
description Purpose We aimed to examine the participants’ satisfaction and evaluation of the program’s appropriateness, outcomes and benefits from participants’ perspectives and gather suggestions from students to improve peer mentor programs. Methods From 2016 to 2018, 67 mentees and mentors participated in the peer mentoring program. All program participants were asked to participate in the survey, and the respondents were invited to focus group interview (FGI). Quantitative data was collected from the survey questionnaire. Qualitative data was gathered from the open-end questions in the survey and supplemented from additional semi-structured FGIs. The interview data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results Nineteen responded to the survey, and six participated in the further FGI. Qualitative data contained outcomes and mutual benefits, factors for mentoring success, negative experiences, and suggestions for improvement. Especially factors for mentoring success consisted of various methods of studying assistance, motivation, autonomy, responsibility, emotional support, and relational bonding as important topics concerning mentor-mentee experiences. The satisfaction scores about the program appropriateness, others’ attitudes, program implementation, ranged from 3.5 to 3.9 (5-point Likert scores) without significant difference between mentors and mentees. The only negative experience reported by a mentee was feeling the pressure. Specific guidelines on program implementation, pre-education for mentees, appropriate matching, and mentees’ clear purpose and spontaneity were suggested to improve the program. Conclusion Participants were generally satisfied with the peer mentoring program, gaining academic and non-academic achievements, including emotional support and improved relationships. Furthermore, we expect that this program can be improved with participants’ suggestions in the future.
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spelling doaj.art-6e481189150c405fbb8b9589113c7c6b2022-12-21T21:59:45ZengKorean Society of Medical EducationKorean Journal of Medical Education2005-727X2005-72882021-09-0133317519010.3946/kjme.2021.1981307Voluntary peer-mentoring program for undergraduate medical students: exploring the experiences of mentors and menteesMina Cho0Yoon-Seon Lee1 Department of Counseling Psychology, Hannam University, Daejeon, Korea Department of Emergency Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, KoreaPurpose We aimed to examine the participants’ satisfaction and evaluation of the program’s appropriateness, outcomes and benefits from participants’ perspectives and gather suggestions from students to improve peer mentor programs. Methods From 2016 to 2018, 67 mentees and mentors participated in the peer mentoring program. All program participants were asked to participate in the survey, and the respondents were invited to focus group interview (FGI). Quantitative data was collected from the survey questionnaire. Qualitative data was gathered from the open-end questions in the survey and supplemented from additional semi-structured FGIs. The interview data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results Nineteen responded to the survey, and six participated in the further FGI. Qualitative data contained outcomes and mutual benefits, factors for mentoring success, negative experiences, and suggestions for improvement. Especially factors for mentoring success consisted of various methods of studying assistance, motivation, autonomy, responsibility, emotional support, and relational bonding as important topics concerning mentor-mentee experiences. The satisfaction scores about the program appropriateness, others’ attitudes, program implementation, ranged from 3.5 to 3.9 (5-point Likert scores) without significant difference between mentors and mentees. The only negative experience reported by a mentee was feeling the pressure. Specific guidelines on program implementation, pre-education for mentees, appropriate matching, and mentees’ clear purpose and spontaneity were suggested to improve the program. Conclusion Participants were generally satisfied with the peer mentoring program, gaining academic and non-academic achievements, including emotional support and improved relationships. Furthermore, we expect that this program can be improved with participants’ suggestions in the future.http://www.kjme.kr/upload/pdf/kjme-2021-198.pdfpeer mentoring programundergraduate medical students
spellingShingle Mina Cho
Yoon-Seon Lee
Voluntary peer-mentoring program for undergraduate medical students: exploring the experiences of mentors and mentees
Korean Journal of Medical Education
peer mentoring program
undergraduate medical students
title Voluntary peer-mentoring program for undergraduate medical students: exploring the experiences of mentors and mentees
title_full Voluntary peer-mentoring program for undergraduate medical students: exploring the experiences of mentors and mentees
title_fullStr Voluntary peer-mentoring program for undergraduate medical students: exploring the experiences of mentors and mentees
title_full_unstemmed Voluntary peer-mentoring program for undergraduate medical students: exploring the experiences of mentors and mentees
title_short Voluntary peer-mentoring program for undergraduate medical students: exploring the experiences of mentors and mentees
title_sort voluntary peer mentoring program for undergraduate medical students exploring the experiences of mentors and mentees
topic peer mentoring program
undergraduate medical students
url http://www.kjme.kr/upload/pdf/kjme-2021-198.pdf
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