Coaching and Mentoring: Focus on Graduate Medical Education

Individuals at any level of the medical field could potentially benefit from feedback and supervision: from medical students, nurses, or physician assistants; to residents, advanced practitioners, and attending physicians. Two of the most common forms of feedback and supervision utilized in medical education are coaching and mentoring. These terms are often used interchangeably but are commonly misunderstood. In this chapter, we will highlight the differences between coaching and mentoring, place emphasis on the use of mentoring in medical education, discuss the characteristics of a successful mentor-mentee relationship, and provide an example of a mentoring program at a local community hospital