Medical Student Mentors for Young Adults with Sickle Cell Disease: Impact on Mentors
OBJECTIVE In the United States, physicians and residents report inadequate training in managing adolescents and young adults (AYAs) during the transition from pediatric to adult care, particularly AYAs with chronic illnesses such as sickle cell disease (SCD). We developed an intervention where medic...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/23821205241274161 |
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| author | Adrienne S. Viola Mariah Jacqueline Scott Hanin Rashid Richard Drachtman Amanda Kaveney Ashwin Sridharan Beth Savage Cristine Delnevo Jerlym S. Porter Katie A. Devine |
| author_facet | Adrienne S. Viola Mariah Jacqueline Scott Hanin Rashid Richard Drachtman Amanda Kaveney Ashwin Sridharan Beth Savage Cristine Delnevo Jerlym S. Porter Katie A. Devine |
| author_sort | Adrienne S. Viola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | OBJECTIVE In the United States, physicians and residents report inadequate training in managing adolescents and young adults (AYAs) during the transition from pediatric to adult care, particularly AYAs with chronic illnesses such as sickle cell disease (SCD). We developed an intervention where medical students serve as similar-aged “peer” mentors to offer informational and developmentally appropriate support to AYA patients during the period of transition. Our initial work showed the feasibility and acceptability of this intervention for young adults with SCD. In this report, we evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of this non-randomized trial on medical student mentors. METHODS Following training, medical student mentors were paired 1:1 with an AYA with SCD who was transitioning from pediatric to adult care. They conducted monthly video calls with mentees to address specific transition and disease self-management topics. Students completed baseline and follow-up surveys regarding knowledge of SCD and empathy. Satisfaction was measured at follow-up via survey and an exit interview. RESULTS Nine medical students were paired with a total of 24 patients. Student retention was 100%, but only eight completed the follow-up survey. Students reported increased knowledge about managing a chronic illness and transition and improved understanding about the patient's experience navigating the healthcare system. Students expressed high satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS A medical student mentor intervention was feasible and acceptable to medical students and may provide an opportunity for value-added role in medical education. Further research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of this type of intervention on both student and patient outcomes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ba49d9724c42439b929d7445a8ba3858 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2382-1205 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development |
| spelling | doaj-art-ba49d9724c42439b929d7445a8ba38582025-02-11T09:03:30ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Medical Education and Curricular Development2382-12052025-02-011210.1177/23821205241274161Medical Student Mentors for Young Adults with Sickle Cell Disease: Impact on MentorsAdrienne S. Viola0Mariah Jacqueline Scott1Hanin Rashid2Richard Drachtman3Amanda Kaveney4Ashwin Sridharan5Beth Savage6Cristine Delnevo7Jerlym S. Porter8 Katie A. Devine9 , New Brunswick, NJ, USA Sickle Cell 101, San Diego, CA, USA Department of Psychiatry, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USA , Piscataway, NJ, USA , Piscataway, NJ, USA , NJ, USA , Piscataway, NJ, USA , Memphis, TN, USA Department of Pediatrics, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, USAOBJECTIVE In the United States, physicians and residents report inadequate training in managing adolescents and young adults (AYAs) during the transition from pediatric to adult care, particularly AYAs with chronic illnesses such as sickle cell disease (SCD). We developed an intervention where medical students serve as similar-aged “peer” mentors to offer informational and developmentally appropriate support to AYA patients during the period of transition. Our initial work showed the feasibility and acceptability of this intervention for young adults with SCD. In this report, we evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of this non-randomized trial on medical student mentors. METHODS Following training, medical student mentors were paired 1:1 with an AYA with SCD who was transitioning from pediatric to adult care. They conducted monthly video calls with mentees to address specific transition and disease self-management topics. Students completed baseline and follow-up surveys regarding knowledge of SCD and empathy. Satisfaction was measured at follow-up via survey and an exit interview. RESULTS Nine medical students were paired with a total of 24 patients. Student retention was 100%, but only eight completed the follow-up survey. Students reported increased knowledge about managing a chronic illness and transition and improved understanding about the patient's experience navigating the healthcare system. Students expressed high satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS A medical student mentor intervention was feasible and acceptable to medical students and may provide an opportunity for value-added role in medical education. Further research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of this type of intervention on both student and patient outcomes.https://doi.org/10.1177/23821205241274161 |
| spellingShingle | Adrienne S. Viola Mariah Jacqueline Scott Hanin Rashid Richard Drachtman Amanda Kaveney Ashwin Sridharan Beth Savage Cristine Delnevo Jerlym S. Porter Katie A. Devine Medical Student Mentors for Young Adults with Sickle Cell Disease: Impact on Mentors Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development |
| title | Medical Student Mentors for Young Adults with Sickle Cell Disease: Impact on Mentors |
| title_full | Medical Student Mentors for Young Adults with Sickle Cell Disease: Impact on Mentors |
| title_fullStr | Medical Student Mentors for Young Adults with Sickle Cell Disease: Impact on Mentors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Medical Student Mentors for Young Adults with Sickle Cell Disease: Impact on Mentors |
| title_short | Medical Student Mentors for Young Adults with Sickle Cell Disease: Impact on Mentors |
| title_sort | medical student mentors for young adults with sickle cell disease impact on mentors |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/23821205241274161 |
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