Gender differences in preferences for mentoring styles and topics in academic medicine in Japan / 医学教育

Objective: To evaluate gender differences in mentee’s preference for mentoring styles and topics in academic medicine in Japan.<br>Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of mentees at 6 graduate schools of medicine in Japan from December 2011 through January 2012. The study participants were 1700 Japanese-speaking graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The primary outcome was the percentage of respondents who desired to be mentored with a particular style or topic.<br>Results: A total of 676 （227 women） mentees responded to the survey. Women were less likely than men to prefer a hierarchical mentoring relationship （men, 82%; women, 71%; p＝0.001） but were more likely to desire a mentor for career consultation （men, 51%; women, 64%; p＝0.001）. Women were more likely than men to want guidance in developing a research portfolio （men, 85%; women, 90%; p＝0.04）, in computer skills／statistical skills （men, 68%; women, 81%; p＝0.001）, and in long-term career planning （men, 38%; women, 50%; p＝0.003）.<br>Conclusion: Women mentees in Japan express different preferences for mentoring styles and topics from men. Mentors in Japan must take these differences into consideration.

Qualitative research for investigating the factors that facilitate or interfere / 医学教育

Mentorship in academic medicine in the United States and Europe has been recognized as an effective system for increasing a mentee's research productivity, career success, and ability to obtain research grants. Therefore, to promote mentoring programs in Japanese academic medicine, it is important to investigate factors that facilitate or interfere with mentoring.<br>1)We interviewed 12 physicians who have performed clinical research under existing mentoring programs in Japan and asked them about factors that, in their experience, had facilitated or interfered with mentoring.<br>2)We qualitatively analyzed transcripts of interviews to identify these factors.<br>3)Factors identified as facilitating mentoring were: appropriate evaluation of a mentee's research skill, knowledge of a mentee's career goals, mutual communication between mentor and mentee, and the presence of senior researchers close to a mentee.<br>4)Factors identified as interfering with mentoring were: the busyness of a mentor, a mentee's concerns about giving offense by consulting the mentor about trivial matters, and the hierarchically organized social relationship in which the mentor is superior and the mentee is inferior.<br>5)Assessment of the mentoring process and education programs for mentors were expected to be necessary measures to promote mentoring programs.