Mentoring.

whereby an experienced, highly regarded empathic person (the mentor) guides another individual (the mentee) in the development of their own ideas, learning and professional development’.1 For doctors, this relationship may include asking each other for advice, information, support, encouragement and criticism.2 Genitourinary (GU) physicians have identified a need for more support within their specialty. Together with the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), they have been the first national group of physicians to look at mentoring as one method of achieving this support. Research from American commerce and industry demonstrates that mentorship is related to career success and advancement.3 The evidence from the UK shows that doctors with mentors benefit substantially.2,4 It may be that doctors who do well are better at finding mentors for themselves. But despite the strong evidence for mentorship as a powerful tool in achieving personal and professional goals, it is still not widely offered to doctors by Trusts in the National Health Service.4