SynthesisJournal of general internal medicine2010
A systematic review of qualitative research on the meaning and characteristics of mentoring in academic medicine.
Synthesis in Journal of general internal medicine, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 222 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
222 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 655 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mentoring as an intervention to promote gender equality in academic medicine: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2021Pooled it
- Nursing home staff experiences of implementing mentorship programmes: A systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis.Journal of nursing management · 2020Pooled it
- Educational roles as a continuum of mentoring's role in medicine - a systematic review and thematic analysis of educational studies from 2000 to 2018.BMC medical education · 2019Pooled it
- Understanding the Mentoring Environment Through Thematic Analysis of the Learning Environment in Medical Education: a Systematic Review.Journal of general internal medicine · 2019Pooled it
- Benefits, barriers and enablers of mentoring female health academics: An integrative review.PloS one · 2019Pooled it
- Acceptance of a systematic review as a thesis: survey of biomedical doctoral programs in Europe.Systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Measuring the effectiveness of mentoring as a knowledge translation intervention for implementing empirical evidence: a systematic review.Worldviews on evidence-based nursing · 2014Pooled it
- Mentored implementation to initiate a diabetes program in an underserved community: a pilot study.BMJ open diabetes research & care · 2021Trial
- Promoting mentorship in translational research: should we hope for Athena or train mentor?Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges · 2014Trial
- Mentees' Perspectives on Mentorship and Sponsorship in Academic Anesthesiology: Findings from a Single-institution Focus Group.Anesthesiology open · 2026Article
- How Mentoring Networks Shape Early-Career Grant Success: Evidence from NIH K-awardees.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Differences in Residency Advising and Mentorship for Osteopathic and Allopathic Emergency Medicine Applicants.Cureus · 2026Article
- Mentorship, Sponsorship, and Coaching in Academic Medicine: Essential Elements of Faculty Development.Academic psychiatry : the journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic Psychiatry · 2026Article
- Research Mentoring During Times of Crisis.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- 25-year analysis of gender and professional trends in authorship of highly cited articles in leading ophthalmology journals.European journal of ophthalmology · 2026Article
- A Roadmap to Promotion: Planning Your Route to Success.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026Article
- Family collective agency in career decision-making among medical and dental students: a qualitative intersectional study in Peshawar, Pakistan.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- We should nudge clinicians and trainees to participate in health professions education programmes.Medical education · 2025Review
- Barriers and enablers to medical students' engagement in research and clinical academic careers: a mixed-methods study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Research needs of higher specialist trainees in psychiatry in Ireland: mixed methods study.BJPsych bulletin · 2025Article
162 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMentorship is perceived to play a significant role in the career development and productivity of academic clinicians, but little is known about the characteristics of mentorship. This knowledge would be useful for those developing mentorship programs.
objectiveTo complete a systematic review of the qualitative literature to explore and summarize the development, perceptions and experiences of the mentoring relationship in academic medicine. DATE SOURCES: Medline, PsycINFO, ERIC, Scopus and Current Contents databases from the earliest available date to December 2008. REVIEW
methodsWe included studies that used qualitative research methodology to explore the meaning and characteristics of mentoring in academic medicine. Two investigators independently assessed articles for relevance and study quality, and extracted data using standardized forms. No restrictions were placed on the language of articles.
resultsA total of 8,487 citations were identified, 114 full text articles were assessed, and 9 articles were selected for review. All studies were conducted in North America, and most focused on the initiation and cultivation phases of the mentoring relationship. Mentoring was described as a complex relationship based on mutual interests, both professional and personal. Mentees should take an active role in the formation and development of mentoring relationships. Good mentors should be sincere in their dealings with mentees, be able to listen actively and understand mentees' needs, and have a well-established position within the academic community. Some of the mentoring functions aim at the mentees' academic growth and others at personal growth. Barriers to mentoring and dysfunctional mentoring can be related to personal factors, relational difficulties and structural/institutional barriers.
conclusionsSuccessful mentoring requires commitment and interpersonal skills of the mentor and mentee, but also a facilitating environment at academic medicine's institutions.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.