Implementation of a Mentor System to Enhance Student Education and Evaluation in the Ambulatory Setting

Teaching in the ambulatory setting is complicated by several problems. These problems include (a) meshing complicated schedules of both students and faculty, which may decrease the contact between individual students and a particular faculty member, (b) failure of the faculty members to observe clinical encounters between students and patients, (c) failure of students to share learning experiences with their peers, and (d) inability of faculty members to probe the extent of a student's understanding of a particular case due to pressures to provide medical care. We have developed a “mentor system” under which students are assigned to one faculty mentor for evaluation and feedback. The impact of this system was measured by administering a questionnaire to six ambulatory pediatric faculty members. Faculty reported significantly enhanced (p =.027) ability to evaluate students and increased overall satisfaction with their teaching role.