Mentoring in the Academic Medical Setting: The Gender Gap

Mentoring is an essential part of success in the academic medical center. The provision of effective mentoring is key to the success of the increasing numbers of women entering medicine. However, the gender distribution within the hierarchy of medicine has not changed in that the power still resides with men in the system. Currently, men are attempting to mentor women, and so as the proportion of women in medicine continues to grow, they will become more influential in this setting and will become increasingly responsible for providing mentoring to men. In either case, effective communication across gender lines is an essential aspect of the mentoring process. Psychologists in academic medical settings can provide guidance to faculty and staff on the critical aspects of social development and communication, which may affect how women and men are mentored and the success of this mentoring process, whether across or within gender lines.