Speed mentoring: an innovative method to facilitate mentoring relationships.
BACKGROUND
Junior faculty members have difficulty in identifying mentors. Speed dating permits people to efficiently try out interpersonal relationships.


OBJECTIVE
Evaluate a "speed mentoring" event to help junior faculty answer questions and initiate mentoring relationships.


METHODS
This single-group pre-post study involved junior (mentee) and senior (mentor) faculty members at an academic medical center. During the event, each mentee spent 10 min talking with each mentor in rotation.


RESULTS
Seven mentees and six mentors participated. All participants felt that time was well spent (mentees, mean [SD] = 6.3 [0.8] on a seven-point Likert scale [7 = strongly agree]; mentors, 5.7 [1.4]). Topics discussed included mentoring relationships, getting started in research, and time management.


CONCLUSIONS
Participants perceived benefits from this low-cost, brief intervention to facilitate mentoring relationships.
Cook
David A
DA
Office of Education Research, College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, USA.
Bahn
Rebecca S
RS
Menaker
Ronald
R
D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008611:Mentors; D013997:Time Factors