Mentoring at the University of Pennsylvania: results of a faculty survey.

BACKGROUND: Research suggests mentoring is related to career satisfaction and success. Most studies have focused on junior faculty.

OBJECTIVE: To explore multiple aspects of mentoring at an academic medical center in relation to faculty rank, track, and gender.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional mail survey in mid-2003.

PARTICIPANTS: Faculty members, 1,432, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

MEASUREMENTS: Self-administered survey developed from existing instruments and stakeholders.

RESULTS: Response rate was 73% (n = 1,046). Most (92%) assistant and half (48%) of associate professors had a mentor. Assistant professors in the tenure track were most likely to have a mentor (98%). At both ranks, the faculty was given more types of advice than types of opportunities. Satisfaction with mentoring was correlated with the number of types of mentoring received (r = .48 and .53, P < .0001), job satisfaction (r = .44 and .31, P < .0001), meeting frequency (r = .53 and .61, P < .0001), and expectation of leaving the University within 5 years (Spearman r = -.19 and -.18, P < .0001), at the assistant and associate rank, respectively. Significant predictors of higher overall job satisfaction were associate rank [Odds ratio (OR) = 2.04, CI = 1.29-3.21], the 10-point mentoring satisfaction rating (OR = 1.27, CI = 1.17-1.35), and number of mentors (OR = 1.60, CI = 1.20-2.07).

CONCLUSIONS: Having a mentor, or preferably, multiple mentors is strongly related to satisfaction with mentoring and overall job satisfaction. Surprisingly, few differences were related to gender. Mentoring of clinician-educators, research track faculty, and senior faculty, and the use of multiple mentors require specific attention of academic leadership and further study.