Mentoring practices and needs of paediatric resident doctors in Nigerian training institutions

Context: Formal mentoring was recently introduced into the Nigerian residency programmes, but studies are lacking on the mentoring practices and unmet needs of Paediatric residents. Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the awareness of paediatric resident doctors in Nigeria about mentoring, their mentoring practices and the needs of residents with and without mentors. Design: The study design involves descriptive, cross-sectional study. Methods: Pre-tested questionnaires were administered to 150 paediatric resident doctors attending the update courses in Paediatrics and Paediatric Association of Nigeria Conference held in Nigeria in 2018. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 33.5 ± 3.7 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:2.5. The majority (98.0%) of the resident doctors had heard about mentoring though only 58 (39.5%) had formal teaching on mentorship. Seventy-nine (52.7%) of the respondents were in a mentoring relationship. The mean duration of the mentoring meeting (min) was significantly associated with the degree of satisfaction with mentorship (F = 11.7 P = 0.020). Of the 71 paediatric residents without a mentor, 68 (95.8%) of them desired a mentor. The majority (125; 83.3%) of the residents had an unmet need for mentoring, either because their desire for having a mentor is yet to be met or they are not satisfied with their current mentoring relationship. Conclusion: Mentoring is desired by many Paediatric trainees who are not undergoing mentorship. There is a need for college boards and institutions to evaluate the on-going mentoring schemes to address these needs.