A Mentor, Advisor, and Coach (MAC) Program to Enhance the Resident and Mentor Experience

Abstract

Introduction: While residents must meet standardized educational milestones to graduate, individualized mentorship and guidance can help them achieve personal and career goals. A novel mentor, advisor, and coach (MAC) program was created for residents of the Yale University Traditional Internal Medicine Residency Program to help them attain these goals. Methods: Internal medicine faculty were recruited into the MAC program and matched with residents, with each faculty paired with one to three mentees. A structured roadmap was used to guide program content (including topics of mentoring, advising, and coaching), and meetings were individualized to cater to the needs of residents. During the 2017-2018 academic year, online surveys and focus groups were used to obtain feedback from participants. Results: Survey responses were obtained from 50 of the 116 residents (43%) and 21 of the 49 MAC faculty (43%). Thirteen residents and five MAC faculty participated in in-person focus groups. Most participants (92% of interns, 83% of residents, and 95% of MAC faculty) felt the program was beneficial and should continue. Individualized relationships and meeting content were key to the program's success. Areas for improvement included clarification of the program's purpose and each party's responsibilities in scheduling meetings. MAC faculty also requested faculty development tools to help them meet expectations of being a MAC. Discussion: The MAC program provided a successful avenue for mentorship and guidance for residents. Central themes to enhance participants' experience were individualization and flexibility, mutual agreement of the ground rules, and enhanced communication from program leadership.

Creation of a resident‐led medical student education committee

“…[1][2][3] Similar faculty-led initiatives exist within residency programs to support clinical development and attainment of resident career goals. 4 There is a dearth of literature, however, about resident-programs that provide specialty-specific advising to students. A "big sibling" program that paired students with surgery residents received positive reviews from residents and improved the students' experience.…”

Investing in Women Trainees: Building a Women in Medicine Group at an Academic Institution

“…Institutional programs such as the initiation or implementation of women in medicine groups are one of the measures taken to make progress. However, most interventions have been targeted for faculty with few intended to meet the needs unique to residents [ 12 , 13 ]. Here, we describe our experience with designing and sustaining an intervention that addresses the need for resident support as an effective approach that can be adopted by other institutions resolving to advocate for gender equity in medicine.…”

Defining Advising, Coaching, and Mentoring for Student Development in Medical Education

“…Designating a formal definition for each guidance method will lay the groundwork for individualizing the terms mentor, coach, and advisor. Table 1 recommends potential definitions that can be utilized across the medical community to distinguish individual faculty roles [ 7 ].…”

“…Extensive work has been published on the history, benefits, and application of each guidance strategy as well as program designs for implementing each approach. One recent study established that mentor, advisor, and coach (MAC) relationships during residency can enhance resident experiences and that the majority of participants benefited from the program [ 7 ]. Meanwhile, another analysis demonstrated that guidance in medical education can increase research opportunities, strengthen professional relationships, heighten professional development, and provide insight into career decisions [ 8 ].…”