Table 1 Characteristics of the three mentorship programs (at the time of the study)
McGill University, Canada | University of Bergen, Norway | UiT The Arctic University, Norway | |
|---|---|---|---|
Duration of medical school | 4 years | 6 years | 6 years |
Students per year | 180 | 150 | 100 |
Mentor program | MS1-MS4 | MS2-MS5 | MS1-MS4 and MS6 |
Mentor program established | 2005 | 2014 | 2012 |
Group size | 6 students | 8 students | 8 students |
Meetings | 4–8 meetings a year. Attendance at 75% of meetings is compulsory. | 5 meetings a year. Attendance at 75% of meetings is compulsory. | 4 meetings a year + 1 one-on-one meeting (30 min). Attendance at 75% of meetings is compulsory. |
Mentors | 1 physician and 1 senior (MS3 or MS4) student. | 2 physicians. | 2 physicians. |
Content emphasis | The content is driven by the students’ preferences. Mentors have backup content if needed. | The content is driven by the students’ preferences. Mentors are oriented about person-centred medicine and medical professionalism. | Every group meeting has a predetermined topic and students prepares tasks to present and discuss. |
Criteria for mentor recruitment | Recruit mentors from all the specialties in medicine; approximately 1/3 are from the Department of Family Medicine. Strives to recruit mentors who are seeing patients in their daily work. | Recruit mentors through informal networks and snowballing techniques. Recruitment is purposely seeking to enroll physicians and pairing mentors with the aim of maximum variation. | Head of institutes recruit mentors. Both mentors must be physicians by education; otherwise, there are no criteria for being a mentor. |
Faculty development | 3 workshops per year. | One introductory seminar and 2–3 annual seminars. | One introductory seminar and one annual seminar. |
Additional financial compensation | Yes. | Yes. | No. |