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.