Introduction:

Mentoring programs are necessary to support medical students and can have different objectives depending on the institution where they are implemented, although most universities have not yet reached that stage. During the Covid-19 pandemic, face-to-face meetings have been cancelled, making these programs even more difficult to maintain despite it being a time of even greater emotional need for the students. Classes were adjusted, and the meetings were transformed into remote sessions, making online mentoring a reality.

Experience report:

Supported by the Center for Psychopedagogical Support of Students of Medicine (NAPEM), a mentoring program was structured in small groups, formed by teachers, more experienced students (co-mentors) and mentees (first to third year students) with meetings held remotely to enable participation, interaction and to welcome students. The program was attended by 13 mentors, 94 mentees and 24 co-mentors. The program included a training session with mentors and co-mentors, which was conducted by the NAPEM psychologist to align expectations and guidelines. Group discussions focused on difficulties in academic, professional and personal life.

Discussion:

The advantages of the remote mentoring model are increased flexibility for mentors and mentees, facilitating their participation, and maintenance of the group connection supported by technology, since none of the mentees dropped out of the program. Weak points of this experience include the lack a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the program, for example through scientifically conducted interviews or questionnaires to produce better analysis of the results.

Conclusion:

Remote mentoring is useful and should be included as a possible permanent legacy for medical courses, since the meetings were proven to be relevant to mentors and mentees and maintained a high rate of adherence throughout the program.

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