Perceived Mentoring Practices and Attitudes among Anesthesiology Residents in Public and Private Tertiary Care Hospitals

Abstract

Objectives: Mentorship is a cornerstone of postgraduate medical education, playing a critical role in professional identity formation, career development, academic productivity, and personal well-being. We aimed to assess the prevalence of mentoring practices and attitudes among anesthesiology residents and to compare perceptions between public and private tertiary care hospitals. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 121 anesthesiology residents enrolled in FCPS and MCPS training programs across selected public and private tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Data were collected using a previously validated structured questionnaire assessing mentoring patterns, practices, and attitudes. Mentoring practice and attitude scores were categorized using predefined thresholds. Associations between mentoring outcomes and demographic or institutional variables were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests. Results: Among the participants, 94.2% reported having formally assigned mentors, 73.6% reported informal mentorship, and 87.6% identified their mentors as anesthesiologists. Overall, 68.6% of residents demonstrated good mentoring practices, while 57.0% exhibited a positive attitude toward mentorship. Good mentoring practices were more frequently reported in private institutions (71.8%) compared to public institutions (61.1%), though this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.248). In contrast, a significantly higher proportion of residents from public-sector institutions demonstrated a positive mentoring attitude compared to those in private institutions (72.2% vs. 50.6%; p = 0.028). Female residents reported significantly more positive mentoring attitudes than males (79.2% vs. 51.5%; p = 0.01). Conclusion: Anesthesiology residents generally reported favorable mentoring experiences; however, variations in mentoring attitudes across institutional settings and gender highlight the influence of contextual and individual factors. These findings underscore the need for structured, inclusive, and context-sensitive mentorship frameworks within anesthesiology residency programs.