The Impact of Mentoring on Academic Career Success in Surgical Subspecialties: A Systematic Review

As of 2019, women comprise 52.4% of medical school matriculants, make up more than one-third of the active physician workforce, and nearly half of residents and fellows. Although the number of women physicians continues to increase, many surgical subspecialities, including orthopaedic surgery, have not seen a substantial increase in the percentage of women physicians. This may be due to a lack of mentorship. Efforts within the medical community to decrease the burden of gender bias on women include attempts to increase access to mentorship opportunities. Effective mentoring is a critical aspect of any resident physician's training. The purpose of this study was to analyze the most important aspects of mentorship in the academic advancement of female surgical subspecialists.