Mentorship in Urology Residency Programs in the United States

Objective: To characterize the status of mentorship programs for Urology residencies in the United States, highlight the importance of mentorship in the career of a urology resident, and identify the obstacles of implementing a mentorship program. Methods: With Internal Review Board exemption and approval from the Society of Academic Urologists, a survey was sent to the Program Directors of the Urology Residency programs in the United States containing questions about the presence and structure of a mentorship program in their department. Results: Response rate was 54%. Seventy-five percent of respondents approved of formal mentorship programs. Fifty-eight percent of respondents had 1 established. Five percent of programs had an official training course for faculty mentors. Thirty-eight percent of programs had no requirement on mentor and/or mentee meeting frequency. The most common reason for not having a formal mentorship program was because the program felt that informal mentorship sufficed. Conclusion: While the vast majority of Program Directors for Urology Residency programs in the United States approve of formal mentorship programs, only a little over half have 1 established. Programs should strive to create a formal mentorship program in their residency programs due to their recognized importance.