Abstract: Cultivating Leadership Identity through Short-term Mentorship: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study Examining an Outreach Event for Women in Medicine.

Authors

Kathryn Hammer, Hope McMaster, Kiley Medler, DenYelle Baete Kenyon

Published in

South Dakota medicine : the journal of the South Dakota State Medical Association. Volume 79. Issue suppl 5. Pages s38.

Abstract

Women pursuing careers in medicine are often highly motivated to participate in mentorship opportunities to develop leadership skills and encourage the growth of prospective women in medicine. Longitudinal near-peer mentorship has been shown to support leadership identity development and produce positive mentor outcomes, including increased professional skills and confidence. Acknowledging the logistical barriers to longitudinal mentoring programs, such as scheduling constraints and competing priorities, our project seeks to explore whether short-term mentorship outreach activities may offer a feasible model for female medical students to engage in experiential leadership identity development and attain benefits associated with the mentor role.
We will host an outreach event providing female medical students at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine (SSOM) an opportunity to serve as mentors to South Dakota undergraduate and high school women interested in pursuing careers in medicine. During the event, mentors will lead skills simulations and participate in discussions about medical education and experiences as women in medicine. Post-event surveys will be completed by participating medical students to evaluate the effectiveness of this one-time outreach event, especially as it pertains to the short-term practice of leadership and development of leadership identity.
We anticipate that participation in this outreach event, scheduled on April 9 in Sioux Falls, will result in survey data which will demonstrate that this event provides an opportunity for women at SSOM to practice leadership skills, build confidence in leading, and grow in their identity as physician leaders. Findings may help improve future programming offered by SSOM's chapter of Women in Medicine and Science.
Short-term mentorship outreach events may provide a practical avenue for female medical students to grow in their leadership identity and attain benefits of the mentor role while supporting the next generation of women in medicine.

PMID:
42526007
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Jul 2026.

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