The mission of the UNM General Surgery Mentorship Program is to establish and maintain productive, collaborative, and empowering mentoring partnerships between the faculty and residents. Our goal is to promote both academic and personal growth of our residents during their time in training by pairing mentees with more experienced faculty who can offer advice in multiple areas that will foster their ultimate success as surgeons. In addition to career development, the mentorship program strive to promote an improved sense of community within general surgery residency, providing residents with approachable faculty members for issues that arise both in and outside the hospital setting.
We strive to create equitable mentor-mentee pairs based on resident preference and faculty interest. Residents submit their preferences via a mentorship interest survey for pairing based on their needs (academic pursuit, research, specialty interests, etc.) to the Mentorship Program Committee.
Residents are then assigned a Core faculty member with whom they develop a longitudinal relationship. Additional Scholarship faculty may be assigned/ selected to peruse research interests.
In addition to faculty- mentoring, a peer-mentoring program is also available. Every intern is assigned to a Chief resident who can provide guidance for the residency experience. Our goal is to make sure that residents feel supported as they navigate the early stages of careers as surgeons.
Creating successful mentoring relationships does not happen quickly. It takes time, skill and effort to build the trust, to feel supported and safe, develop self-confidence and self- esteem, and see new possibilities. We hope to create a difference in the lives of our surgery residents by attempting to provide all the support they need.