A Qualitative Evaluation of a Clinical Faculty Mentorship Program Using a Realist Evaluation Approach

• Published in: Academic pediatrics Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 104 - 112
• Main Authors: McDaniel, Corrie E., Rooholamini, Sahar N., Desai, Arti D., Reddy, Sandeep, Marshall, Susan G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.01.2020
• Subjects: Adult; Clinical Competence; clinical faculty; faculty development; Faculty, Medical; Female; Hospitals, Pediatric; Humans; Interviews as Topic; junior faculty; Male; Mentoring; mentorship; Pediatrics - education; Program Evaluation; Qualitative Research; realist evaluation; clinical faculty; junior faculty; mentorship; realist evaluation; faculty development
• ISSN: 1876-2859; 1876-2867
• DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2019.08.008

Clinically focused faculty (full-time clinical faculty and clinician educators) comprise an increasing proportion of academic faculty, yet they underutilize mentorship nationally. The aims of this study were to test and refine a program theory for an institutional mentorship program for junior clinically focused faculty and to understand the facilitators and barriers of sustained participation. We conducted a qualitative study using a realist evaluation approach. Between July and December 2017, we performed in-depth semistructured interviews of 2 participant groups from a junior faculty mentorship program at our institution: 1) those who attended more than two thirds of the program sessions; and 2) those who only attended 1 session. We used inductive thematic analysis to identify key context and program mechanisms that led to meaningful outcomes for faculty mentorship. We interviewed 23 junior faculty representing 15 pediatric specialties. We identified 4 contextual themes (past personal experience, current competing priorities, institutional culture, and gaps in support and resources), 3 mechanisms (connecting with faculty, sharing ideas and strategies, and self-reflecting), and 3 outcomes (sense of community, acquired tools and skills, and broadened perspectives), which we organized into a programmatic theory representing the program's impact on participants. Themes that emerged were consistent between both groups. A mentorship program that provided junior faculty with opportunities to connect, share ideas and strategies, and self-reflect led to improvement in meaningful outcomes for clinically focused faculty. Our program theory provides a basis for institutions seeking to build a mentorship program targeted towards this increasing proportion of junior faculty.