268 - The Unrecognized Role of Institutional Culture in Successful Mentorship

Publication Number: 1254.268

R Thomas. Collins, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, KY, United States; Sharon F. Chen, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States; Stephen J. Roth, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States

Background: Engaging in mentoring relationships increases career satisfaction and success, while decreasing burnout. Mentorship thrives in environments that value development over production. Junior faculty engagement in receiving mentoring appears to be decreasing, and burnout and career dissatisfaction are increasing, which poses significant negative impacts on pediatric physician faculty.

Objective: We sought to determine how institutional culture might influence junior physician faculty members engagement in receiving mentoring.

Design/Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews of pediatric physician faculty at two medical schools (one public and one private) identified purposively and split evenly between assistant and full professors. We used inductive content analysis to assess themes surrounding cultural norms that affect mentorship participation.

Results: Forty subjects participated in the study (50% female, 50% full professors). Both junior and senior faculty uniformly believe, “a supportive institutional culture is crucial for mentorship success.” There were three components they identified in institutions supportive of mentoring: “a culture of support and the expectation [that everyone participates in mentoring],” “time for the mentee and mentor [to meet…] during working hours,” and “making sure that the people that work for the institution know that it’s an important thing for their institution.” Participants contrasted the ideal institutional culture with their experienced academic cultures that often emphasize productivity and metrics over reflection, guidance, and professional growth. Mentoring was usually seen as “extra,” not given time or credit in promotion systems or workload models. The academic institutions were viewed as lacking visible recognition of mentors or mentees, thus undermining a supportive culture. Participants contrasted relational cultures—where mentorship was celebrated—with transactional ones, where it “falls off the radar.” Mentees felt incentivized to disengage in receiving mentorship when institutional messaging prioritized grant numbers and RVUs over developmental relationships.

Conclusion(s): Institutional culture powerfully conditions involvement in mentoring. Embedding mentorship into reward systems, highlighting its scholarly value, and modeling engagement by leadership can reestablish mentoring as a core professional expectation. Cultural transformation—not individual effort—will be key to restoring mentorship as a defining feature of academic medicine.