Speed mentoring: An innovative method to facilitate mentoring relationships

Background: Junior faculty members have difficulty in identifying mentors. Speed dating permits people to efficiently try out interpersonal relationships. Aim: Evaluate a "speed mentoring" event to help junior faculty answer questions and initiate mentoring relationships. Methods: This single-group prepost study involved junior (mentee) and senior (mentor) faculty members at an academic medical center. During the event, each mentee spent 10 min talking with each mentor in rotation. Results: Seven mentees and six mentors participated. All participants felt that time was well spent (mentees, mean [SD] 6.3 [0.8] on a seven-point Likert scale [7 strongly agree]; mentors, 5.7 [1.4]). Topics discussed included mentoring relationships, getting started in research, and time management. Conclusions: Participants perceived benefits from this low-cost, brief intervention to facilitate mentoring relationships.