Selecting a mentor: a guide for residents, fellows, and young physicians.

For trainees entering clinical practice, mentorship can be most helpful, and for those with an academic interest, mentorship is vital. A mentor can be a personal teacher, utor, advisor, and coach. In addition to those pursuing cademic advancement, similar issues also affect physicians ntering a practice setting who are seeking comprehensive entoring from their senior colleagues. The clinical trainee nterested in pursuing a general clinical field or specialty an often achieve his/her goals with a personal faculty onfidant or advisor. A senior member of a practice group an serve in the same role for the younger physician(s) oining that group. Mentorship beyond the advisory level, owever, is necessary for those interested in subspecialty kill sets (eg, coronary interventions, oncology, transplanation) or pursuit of becoming a leading expert in a clinical r research area. With the exponential escalation of research nformation and technology, mentorship has become crucial or trainees interested in pursuing an academic career in linical or laboratory research. The tools for achieving an cademic career are typically garnered during the mentorhip phase of the training period. Selecting an effective mentor becomes one of the most mportant decisions in a young physician’s career. The ollowing discussion is directed at the trainee pursuing an cademic career, but the general principles also apply to the ecently trained physician joining a clinical practice group.