"Mentorship in a Minute”: A Pilot Initiative to Close Mentorship Gaps among Women Medical Students Interested in Neurosurgery

Introduction: Only 20% of current neurosurgical residents are female, indicating a substantial gender gap at the level of medical student recruitment. Barriers to entry are most notable for lack of early formal mentorship opportunities. Attendance at neurosurgical conferences can help medical students grow their mentorship network, however, there are limited programs available to facilitate these connections.

Methods: “Mentorship in a Minute” is a pilot initiative designed to promote female medical student mentorship opportunities at a large neurosurgical conference in 2023. All participants registered for the program via Women in Neurosurgery social media or email communication. Neurosurgical residents and fellows (mentors) were paired with female medical student mentees. Pairs met in-person during conference hours for a minimum of 15 minutes. Following the sessions, participants rated their experiences using 7-point Likert scale responses in a post-event survey.

Results: Fifty-two female medical student mentees were paired one-on-one with 27 neurosurgery mentors. Fifteen (29%) students did not have home neurosurgery programs, and 11 (21%) were actively applying for neurosurgery residency. Eight (16%) students identified as underrepresented in medicine. Primary mentorship goals for mentees included networking (81%), residency application advice (76%), research guidance (53%), and family/social planning (47%). Post-event survey response rates were 42% for mentees and 56% for mentors. Mentorship pairs met for approximately 44 minutes, on average. Among mentees, 40% identified as having a gap in their mentorship network, and 72% believed that “Mentorship in a Minute” could fill it. One-hundred percent of mentees would participate in future iterations, and 86% anticipate continuing communication with their mentors. Equivocally, 100% of mentors would participate in future iterations, and 100% would continue communication with their mentees.

Conclusion : This data demonstrates feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a pilot initiative to facilitate female medical student mentorship at a neurosurgical conference. The need for formal mentorship for women in neurosurgery, particularly at the trainee level, remains unmet. This program shows early promise to close mentorship gaps among women and broadly foster their sense of connection in the greater neurosurgical community.