Outcomes of a Structured Hospitalist Peer Mentoring Program

Abstract

Hospitalist programs are often challenged with decreasing physician turnover while adding new physicians to meet hospital growth needs. In addition, newly hired physicians can have significant challenges integrating into a new hospitalist group and hospital. Mentoring programs for new physicians may help alleviate some of these challenges. The Duke-Durham Regional Hospitalist program experienced both high turnover and program growth during 2006-2007 and as a result implemented a structured peer mentoring program for newly hired physicians and physician assistants. The goals of the mentoring program were to improve teamwork, encourage hospitalist medicine as a career, improve mentor confidence and influence, and speed up onboarding of new hospitalists.