Challenges associated with mentoring medical interns in the trauma emergency Department, King Edward hospital.

Abstract

Mentorship is a process which involves experienced personnel (mentor) guiding an inexperienced individual (mentee) in personal and professional development. In the medical field, this is important for medical interns to acquire the skills needed to perform as qualified medical officers. In this view, the aim of this study was therefore to examine the challenges associated with mentoring medical interns in the Trauma Emergency Department at King Edward Hospital. The main objective of the study was to unpack the challenges associated with the mentoring process and how these challenges negatively impact on the effectiveness of the process. In order to achieve this, the methodological approach employed in the study is qualitative, whereby 15 medical interns were purposively selected to participate in the study. In addition to these, 5 senior medical officers were selected to participate in the study. Focus group discussions (with the interns) and interviews (with the senior officers) were used to gather data from these participants, in order to explore their lived experiences with regards to mentoring. The findings of the study indicated that mentorship is essential for the professional development of medical doctors. The participants clearly indicated their roles as including working as teams in caring for the patients, investigating medical issues, as well as helping each other acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge for their effective performance. The participants also noted some challenges which include the shortage of the mentoring personnel, resulting in the interns not having the supervision that they need during the course of the mentorship, some mentees and mentors being difficult to work with, shortage of the important medical equipment like x-ray machines and CT scans, which impede the effectiveness of the mentees. Based on these findings, it was recommended that more senior staff members be deployed to ensure that the interns are regularly supervised as needed, to provide the necessary material resources to enhance the effectiveness of the medical professionals. Essentially, it was also recommended that both the mentors and the mentees should have the right attitude towards each other, to ensure a smooth relationship between the two. Key words: junior doctors; mentorship; state hospitals.