Presenting Author:

Gabriel Arenas, B.S.

Principal Investigator:

Gregory Brisson, M.D.

Department:

Medicine

Keywords:

medical students, peer mentorship, transitioning to medical school, anxiety, prioritization, work-life balance

Location:

Third Floor, Feinberg Pavilion, Northwestern Memorial Hospital

E18 - Education

The Sibs Program: A Peer Mentorship Model for Incoming Students

The sibs program at the Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM) offers an opportunity for incoming medical students (M1s, little sibs) to receive peer mentorship through the guidance of a paired second year medical student (M2s, big sibs). This new program aims to provide a longitudinal mentorship throughout medical school, establish a smooth transition for M1s, offer a standardized method of mentoring to M1s, and develop the mentoring capabilities of M2 students. Specifically, M2 students were asked to contact their paired M1 student approximately once per month with a specific talking point relevant to the M1 curriculum milestones. Anxiety, prioritization skills, and work-life balance were assessed in the M1s and M2s, with the M2s serving as a control group from the previous sib program model. Additionally, the frequency of meetings between sibs was recorded, and M2 students were assessed on their abilities to function as mentors. All survey questionnaires used the 5-point Likert scale with the lowest response rate of any survey was n = 61. M1 students initially reported ease of anxiety (mean: 4.01) and comfort seeking advice (mean: 4.03) having been assigned a big sib at the beginning of the year. Big and little sibs met on average once per module with only one reported conflict between one pairing. Statistically significant differences were observed in reduced anxiety levels (M1 mean: 3.87; M2 mean: 3.40; p = <0.01), improved prioritization skills (M1 mean: 3.56; M2 mean: 3.11; p = <0.01), and recognition of work-life balance (M1 mean: 3.84; M2 mean: 3.43; p = <0.01) over the course of 1 year. Big sibs felt neutral-to-agreeable in their capability to provide information, refer students, identify areas of improvement and remain invested in their little sib. These preliminary results indicate the positive impact a structured peer mentorship program has on transitioning incoming students into the medical school environment. Through the sibs program, students are able to remain more organized with less stress during their first year and train themselves to serve as mentors as a second year medical student.