Several evaluation tools have been proposed to measure mentor effectiveness and competency however, these instruments have limited utility as they are relevant for specific types of mentors, specific populations, or have not been rigorously validated. Several investigators have performed such research and identified the following traits as desirable: expertise in their research field, available to their mentees, interest in the mentoring relationship, ability to motivate and support mentees, and advocacy for their mentees. The first step in developing such a mentor assessment instrument is to identify the characteristics of effective mentors. Assessing mentor effectiveness can help institutions provide feedback to mentors to improve mentoring relationships and in the most extreme cases, identify those pairings that are not working to allow mentees to seek new mentors. Mentor effectiveness is dependent on multidimensional factors and requires more than having a mentor with ideal qualities. As a result, an increasing number of academic institutions have implemented faculty mentoring programs. The National Institutes of Health devoted 2.2 million dollars to create the National Research Mentoring Network dedicated to, among other goals, mentor training and development of mentoring best practices. Conversely, previous research has shown that failed mentorship may contribute to mentees not obtaining grant funding and leaving academic careers, among other negative outcomes. Faculty with mentors report increased productivity, more satisfaction with time spent at work, greater sense of self-confidence about advancement and promotion and ability to be promoted. Mentorship plays an essential role in enhancing the success of junior faculty.
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