Introduction:

Upon entering medical school the student undergoes life changes that make the first years the most crucial in terms of vulnerability to developing psychological stress and the associated consequences. In 2020, this condition was aggravated due to the SARS-COV-2 pandemic. To offer students more support, many medical schools have encouraged them to participate in mentoring programs, however student adherence is typically low.

Objective:

To create a mentoring model - called “Welcome Mentoring” - as a psychosocial and pedagogical support for incoming students, and study its implementation process and results, with the aim of achieving greater adherence and effectiveness.

Methodology:

Using a methodological design from the field of implementation science, qualitative and quantitative research techniques and instruments were combined to form a mixed-methods study. Qualitative data were obtained in meetings with mentors, and quantitative data through anonymous electronic questionnaires for students. The meetings of the mentoring groups were foreseen in the mandatory curricular schedule, at predetermined times during the four months of the first semester of the undergraduate course. Qualitative data were analyzed with thematic analysis technique, and quantitative data were analyzed descriptively.

Results:

147 students participated in the Welcome Mentoring (77% participation). The factors that facilitated the implementation were: the automatic inclusion of all students in the groups, insertion in the curriculum, quality of the mentor, and students’ availability for mentoring. The following barriers were observed: communication failures with students, no meetings with mentors, extracurricular activities during mentoring hours, and the remote mode for meetings. The experience was evaluated as positive by students and mentors, with gains in academic performance, in learning about daily school life, and in dealing with the emotional and relational aspects of student life.

Conclusion:

Welcome Mentoring helped integrate incoming student into university life. It proved adequate in terms of the model and results, but requires further studies on its impact on medical education.

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