“Someone to talk to”: A qualitative study of oncology trainees' experience of mentorship around moral distress

Abstract

Background

Moral distress is an intrinsic part of healthcare, particularly prevalent in oncology practitioners. Previous studies have suggested mentorship may play a role in combatting moral distress; however, there is a lack of good evidence aimed at understanding trainees' experience with either mentorship or moral distress, including the intersection between the two.

Methods

We conducted a single-centre study in the hermeneutic phenomenological approach at a Canadian academic cancer centre. Six semi-structured interviews with senior oncology trainees were conducted and analysed according to the interpretive profiles hermeneutic phenomenological approach.

Findings/results

Key findings include the idea that trainees do find mentorship valuable and helpful in navigating moral distress, which is described as common and inevitable, with a number of triggers and factors identified. However, a mentorship relationship must involve mutual respect, understanding, and honesty in order to be valuable. Additionally, engaging in open, honest discussions with mentors, particularly more senior individuals, is seen as a risk–benefit balance by trainees; vertical mentors bring more wisdom and experience, but may also have a greater impact on a trainee's future.

Conclusion

This thought-provoking study highlights mentorship as a potential method to combat the troubling phenomenon of moral distress in oncology trainees.