Background/Purpose: Prior studies have shown that mentoring increases professional success among physicians. Many pediatric rheumatology (PR) divisions are small, which may limit options for mentoring. The ACR/Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Mentoring Interest Group (AMIGO) is a new collaborative effort to promote professional development within PR via cross-institutional mentoring. In this study, we describe the pre-AMIGO state of mentoring among PR fellows and junior faculty in the US and Canada.

Methods:   A cross-sectional web-based survey of all pediatric rheumatologists in the US and Canada was conducted Nov 2011-Jan 2012. The survey was distributed via ACR, CARRA, and McMaster PR email lists. Where possible, survey items were drawn from validated scales. For this study, the analysis cohort was limited to include fellows and junior faculty, as AMIGO targets those groups.  Independent variables included respondent demographics; dependent variables included the reported presence and location of mentors and overall satisfaction with mentoring received on a 5-point Likert scale.  Chi square tests were used to assess associations.

Results: 135 respondents were included in the analysis cohort.  42% of the analysis cohort were fellows (estimated subgroup response rate 64%) and 58% were junior faculty (estimated subgroup response rate 70%). 74% of the analysis cohort were female; 95% were employed in academic institutions; and 96% were fellowship-trained. Most respondents had a clinical mentor, while fewer had mentors for important career-related tasks such as identifying funding sources, defining career goals, and understanding how to achieve career goals (Figure 1). Fellows and junior faculty were equally likely to have clinical mentors, but fellows were more likely to have research mentors; 5% of fellows and 26% of junior faculty reported no research mentoring (p<.01).  Both fellows and junior faculty reported finding mentors outside their home PR divisions.

Overall, 74% of fellows and 64% of junior faculty were somewhat or very satisfied with the mentoring they receive. The presence of a mentor in any domain was associated with an increased likelihood of satisfaction with mentoring (all p<.01). This association was strongest for having a mentor who helped respondents understand how to achieve their career goals; 84% of those with a mentor in this domain were satisfied with mentoring, compared to only 17% of those without (p<.001).

Conclusion: Many PR fellows and junior faculty members lack mentors in specific areas of career development. Programs such as AMIGO may have a role in providing cross-institutional mentors in critical career-related domains. Future studies will assess changes in mentee satisfaction and academic achievement for pediatric rheumatologists engaged in the AMIGO program and for the PR community at large.