Perceptions in Mentorship: The Mentor-Mentee Competency Discrepancy

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Citation of Original Publication

Wiskur, Brandt, Akshay Sood, Orrin Myers, Xin Shore, Brian Soller, Natasha Mickel, Nora Dominguez, and Beth Tigges. “Perceptions in Mentorship: The Mentor-Mentee Competency Discrepancy.” The Chronicle of Mentoring & Coaching 8, no. 1 (June 2024): 178–92. https://doi.org/10.62935/eu1891.

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Abstract

This study evaluated faculty mentoring competencies of 94 mentor-mentee pairs across institutions using the Mentoring Competency Assessment (MCA-21). Results indicated consistent mentor self-assessments and mentee evaluations of mentors across sites, with no significant association of gender or race/ethnicity on competency scoring. Mentees rated mentors higher than mentor’s self-assessments. The greatest self-assessment disparities were within the female clinical educator and female assistant professor mentor groups - they rated their competency lower than the male tenure track and male professor groups, identifying the influence of mentors’ gender, rank, and track on self-assessment of their mentoring competency. Results highlight the subjective elements inherent in mentor competency evaluations. Additional multi-site, longitudinal studies of the mentor-mentee dyad could identify precise training needs to enhance mentoring.