title: An observational study exploring academic mentorship in physical therapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health professions faculty members often come to the academy without formal training as a professor. A challenge that exists for many new professors is the expectation that they will effectively balance their tripartite roles, which include ensuring teaching excellence, research rigor, and service to the university community. Mentoring has been suggested to be a way that new faculty can be supported as they seek to meet these expectations. Currently, there is limited information on faculty mentoring for physical therapy (PT) faculty.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to discover if and to what extent mentoring is occurring in entry-level PT education for new full-time PT faculty.
  
  
  METHODS
  Exploratory, cross-sectional survey research design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the Health Sciences Faculty Mentoring Survey, the authors gathered descriptive data regarding faculty mentoring across entry-level PT education.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 66 respondents in this study, only 15 faculty members (22.7%) reported having a faculty mentor, with only 10 of these receiving mentorship from within their own PT department. While the sample size was small, the data provide specific information on current mentorship practices in the PT academic community.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings indicate that the presence of academic mentorship in PT is limited. In light of this finding, the authors sought to provide insight on PT faculty perceptions regarding mentorship in the academy and discuss possible frameworks that can be used to develop and support the tripartite roles of novice faculty as they transition into the academy.
authors.affiliation: Bustillo Department of Interprofessional Health Sciences and Health Administration, Seton Hall University School of Graduate Medical Education, 400 South Orange Ave., South Orange, NJ 07079, USA. Tel 972-276-2076. Genevieve.zipp@shu.edu.
authors.forename: Genevieve
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pinto Zipp
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maher
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Falzarano
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D008611:Mentors; D008875:Middle Aged; D059825:Physical Therapists / Q000193:education*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires