Business

Medical education

Family medicine

Psychiatry

Peer group

Nursing

Marketing

Surgery

Psychosocial

Psychology

Randomized controlled trial

Patient satisfaction

Mentorship

Peer mentoring

Peer support

Focus group

Medicine

Social psychology

The Medical Journal of Australia

To explore the value of a peer mentoring program for first year medical interns and to assess the demand for and benefits of such a program in an Australian hospital.Randomised controlled study of the impact on first year interns of peer-led mentoring by second and third year interns, undertaken during 2015 at the Royal Perth Hospital, a tertiary teaching hospital. Methods and main outcome measure: Interns were recruited and randomised 1:1 to being assigned or not assigned a mentor. Qualitative outcome data were collected in semi-structured interviews and focus groups at 12 months to assess psychosocial wellbeing and job satisfaction.Fifty-three of 79 interns (67%) applied to participate in the program. Twenty-six mentor-mentee pairs matched by sex and career preferences were established; 27 interns were allocated to the control group. Iterative data analysis identified two major themes related to the value of the mentorship program: aiding navigation through the complex health care system, and enhancing a sense of community. Participants with mentors reported high satisfaction with the program and a positive impact on stress levels, morale, sense of support, job satisfaction, and psychosocial wellbeing compared with participants without mentors.An optional peer mentoring program enhances junior doctor support structures, builds a sense of community, and helps participating interns navigate their new professional environment. Our trial provides a feasibility model that could be adapted to local conditions, regionally or nationally.Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12618000455268; 29 March 2018 (retrospective).

The value of peer mentoring for the psychosocial wellbeing of junior doctors: a randomised controlled study