Mentorship facilitates successful matching for surgical specialties. A formal mentorship plan may counteract restricted mentorship opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We surveyed medical students applying to surgery specialties who participated in our formalized mentorship program (M F) and those of a prior cohort who were informally mentored (M I). Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA) was used to model qualitative responses.
M F students (n=12) met with their mentors more frequently than M I students (n=13; p=0.03). Both groups received career guidance, letters of recommendation and application preparation. However, the M I cohort reported greater psychological and emotional support whereas the M F cohort reported more assistance with skills development.