Medical

How to Find a Mentor on Clinical Rotation

Discover effective strategies to find a mentor during your clinical rotations. Learn how to build meaningful connections that enhance your medical education and career.

Konnor Davis, M4

Jan 15, 2025

Identify the Right Mentor
Building Strong Relationships with Mentors
Leveraging Mentorship During Clinical Rotations
Maintaining the Mentor Relationship

Hi readers! My name is Konnor and I am a fourth-year medical student at UC Irvine School of Medicine. I have been a mentor to those interested in pursuing the health sciences since undergraduate (at UC Davis) and I actively mentor 5+ community college students/grads, undergraduates, those in their gap years, and medical students. The reason why I mentor is to give back to the next generation of physicians in some small way. I would not be where I am today without my mentors and I believe every person should have a trusting, caring, and experienced mentor in this journey.

puff_happy2 I have relied on my mentors’ expertise (in medicine, in research, in being a good human being), gone to them when my motivation was low and I needed a boost and sought their support when those difficult questions needed to be answered by someone other than Google or Reddit. There is room for mentors in all stages; my mentor in undergraduate advised me on the importance of a gap year (which turned into two!), my mentor during my gap years as a clinical research coordinator helped edit my medical school application and get me published for the first time, my mentor during medical school helped with literally everything from study tips, to shadowing, to specialty choice, and most of all, emotional support.

This post will be specific to identifying mentors during your clerkship years of medical school as you get closer to applying to residency, and personalized guidance becomes a bit more important. There is unique value to mentors during clinical rotations as they have usually seen you work one-on-one with patients. Don’t get me wrong, mentors who help you through research or other scholarly activities are beneficial, but a mentor who has seen you care for patients and is willing to vouch for you is like finding the golden egg during an Easter egg hunt. This mentor ideally should understand that the third year (also known as M3) is a time for exploration and making mistakes; you’re figuring out what you want to do with your life while also studying for shelf exams AND you’re expected to spend umpteen hours per week in the hospital. This clinical mentor has been through medical school, residency, and maybe even fellowship, and, to me, that lived experience cannot be beaten. While I have avoided stating the obvious until now, it’s time to take that plunge: You will need attending physicians who have seen you work with patients to write about you positively when it comes to submitting letters of recommendation (LORs) for residency. Getting a strong letter is one thing, but forming that mentor-mentee relationship that blossoms over time (without the initial expectation of “I am getting close to you because I heard you write good letters”) is one that has the potential to last.

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Identify the Right Mentor

We just hit on “why,” but let’s talk about “how.” You may have gotten lucky during the pre-clerkship phase of medical school and found a mentor who is an attending physician and worked with them on research, a project, and/or shadowed them. If your connection is strong, keep it going! There’s a lot to be said for longitudinal relationships but, in a perfect world, make sure they’ve worked with you clinically too. If they haven’t, that’s okay too! I met my main mentor a few weeks before starting classes, and I shadowed them, worked with them as an M1/M2 to improve my history-taking and physical skills, and had her as an attending during my Emergency Medicine Sub-Internship in MS4. This is one example of a mentor that I found during pre-clerkship and made sure there was a clinical component, too.

small kid with tiny sample 1 Before the clinical years, your best bet for finding mentors includes attending interest group events for that specialty the mentor is a part of (a.k.a. the one you are interested in). This can expand to include finding out which mentors/physicians are actively involved in your medical school, as they are more likely to take on mentees. Another good strategy is to informally ask your upperclassmen if they work with any faculty they’d recommend as a mentor. And, if you thought the cold-emailing days were behind you now that you’re in medical school, you thought wrong. It is acceptable to email an attending if you’d like to work with them on research or meet with them to discuss something specific. You can also ask to shadow, however, double-check that your school (namely the interest group for that specialty) doesn’t do a formal shadowing program, as that is oftentimes easier than cold-emailing. Lower yield on my list is finding mentors via attending conferences or online platforms like LinkedIn as these relationships typically aren’t as fruitful and are a bit harder to maintain.

There are a myriad of other ways to find mentors rather than carrying one over from pre-clerkship or those listed above. And, there is no limit on the number of mentors you can have! Mix and match, find those that fit with your personality, find one in your desired specialty, etc. Here are a few options on “who” to serve as a mentor with my thoughts on their strengths and weaknesses:

Upperclassmen: Great to form relationships with early that can be longitudinal, and they truly understand what you are going through and can advise you on what’s to come. Unfortunately, they cannot write LORs nor do they have any decision-making power or sway. That being said, some of my favorite relationships as an M3 were with the M4 on service; I owe them more than they know.

Residents: On rotations, residents will be your main point of contact, your evaluator, and are oftentimes your teachers. Again, they cannot write you a LOR but do have some sway if they put in a good word for you to someone higher up. They can advise you on their experience from med school to residency, what life is like now, and likely can connect you to that coveted attending physician mentor.

Faculty: As mentioned above, this is the coveted mentor. Faculty (attending physicians) are done with training, and hopefully, have seen you with patients firsthand. This could be your internal medicine wards attending, the attending trauma surgeon you did a week of nights with, or the clinic doctor you were assigned to for a month. They can often assist with big-picture items or make connections to other faculty. This person CAN write you a LOR, which is immensely helpful for specialties that require many when applying to residency.

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With each of these people listed, think about the following qualities you’re seeking (essentially, what does a “good” mentor look like to you):

Approachability

Sure, the Chair of the department would be an excellent mentor down the line, but a cold email likely won’t cut it. I’d start with early-middle career faculty that are established and you know them from some event or direct clinical interaction, or you have heard about them through the grapevine. You want someone that, if worse came to worst, you wouldn’t be afraid of texting them with a last-minute request.

Communicability

On that same topic, be professional. Start with email (and formal ones at that) until you work together more and they express different wishes (“no need to call me Dr. So-and-so; I prefer text; let’s get dinner together and chat about XYZ”). Again, newer attendings are likely more open to text as a primary form of communication but always start with email (unless explicitly told otherwise).

Experience

From those with the least to most experience, you have your typical medicine hierarchy going from student to resident to fellow to attending. You may look for a mentor that trained in a certain area of the country, or did a super unique fellowship you are interested in, or currently practices in your desired field. If you want to do research with them, this can get a bit easier as you can target faculty that do the research you’re interested in. In my experience, an early-mid career attending who is involved in the medical school in some capacity has that perfect balance of clinical experience as well as a willingness to mentor.

Commitments

Let’s face it, people in medicine are busy. Your upperclassmen friends have different schedules and exams, residents never leave the hospital, attendings carry the burden of finally being the decision-maker, and so on. For example, it might not be the best strategy to ask a general surgery PGY-3 to mentor you during pre-clerkship. But, a PGY-5 surgery resident almost done with their training certainly makes a good mentor when it comes to the clerkship phase (although my personal preference is to buddy up with a PGY-1 or 2 as they are fresh out of medical school and still remember what it was like). You can never know for certain how much time a mentor has for their mentees, but it is something to think about if your mentor only responds to email once every three months.

Life outside medicine

In my experience, besides finding a mentor in your desired specialty, this category is usually the most important. Do you identify as a woman and want to connect with a female surgeon who had a child during residency? Are you from rural Alaska and want to connect with the emergency medicine doc who works there three months out of the year? Are you passionate about medical mission trips and want to connect with the internal medicine physician who goes on one each year? For example, my main mentor is heavily invested in medical education and the medical school and yes, she is in my desired specialty, and she also has passions outside of the hospital that align with mine.

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Building Strong Relationships with Mentors

So you found a mentor, and now it’s time to grow the relationship. In my experience, the best advice I can provide is for you to be proactive. Doctors are busy, so don’t be afraid to send that reminder email or shoot them a polite text. If you are struggling with something, or have a burning question you can’t find the answer to, reach out! Some mentors will reach out regularly, but most don’t. Being proactive takes that burden off of them.

Again, utilize your mentor’s preferred communication method and always be professional. Give them some time to respond, write with proper grammar, ask appropriate and relevant questions (things that can’t be Googled), and show genuine thanks for the time they spend mentoring you. There is no magic formula for building a successful relationship with a mentor and some relationships will be stronger than others. But, as long as you show gratitude, ask thoughtful questions, demonstrate competence and diligence, and remain professional, you are on the right track.

As time goes on, your relationship will likely change, too. I went from sending an email with all the formalities and waiting 14 days minimum for a reply before sending a reminder to now simply texting my mentor and being confident to tell them when a deadline is approaching. Your mentor might be someone you get coffee with or they could even invite you for dinner. I place a lot of trust in my mentor such that, if they ask for something such as “text me instead of email”, then I do that because the odds that it’s a trick are next to nothing.

Some things to avoid include oversharing personal matters, spamming emails/texts, asking for too much too soon and too often, and speaking poorly (“trash talking”) about other trainees or specialties (trust me, I’ve witnessed this and it’s not good).

Leveraging Mentorship During Clinical Rotations

Next up is how to maximize this symbiotic relationship you are forming. Your mentor likely finds enjoyment in helping you succeed and that is why they’re a mentor in the first place! For you, the career guidance is your top priority. But, there are a myriad of other benefits to having a mentor, especially during the clerkship years.

Scholarly Aspirations: Your mentor might do research or they might do some interesting projects within the medical school or hospital. As your relationship grows, you are likely on their shortlist to ask to assist with these projects. While this is less likely during the clerkship years due to time constraints, this is a helpful aspect of finding a mentor early on.
Connections: More specific to the clerkship phase and preparing for residency applications, you can leverage your relationship with your mentor to connect with others. For example, my mentor is best friends with the current Program Director at my home institution’s residency program, a huge win-win! Maybe your hometown is in a geographic area different from your current one; your mentor might know people from similar areas and can connect with you.
Learning the art of medicine: My absolute favorite part of a mentor during the clinical years (or any time you spend with them around patients). Simply put, medical school teaches you medicine, and residency teaches you how to practice medicine, but being an attending is about learning the art of medicine. When you’re around your mentor in the clinical setting, be a sponge! Pay attention to how they do their physical exams, how they communicate with patients, and how they interact with other staff members. On a personal note, I was asked during my residency interviews, “what makes a good mentor” and this is the aspect that I chose to elaborate on.

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Maintaining the Mentor Relationship

Now that you’ve found a mentor and have grown the relationship, how do you sustain it? Again, it goes back to being proactive. Reach out to the mentor, offer to meet up, ask insightful questions, and seek ongoing guidance. A good mentor will want to take the time to chat, meet with you, or text. So, you reaching out is no surprise to them and continually interacting is the only way you two will continue learning about each other.

image 18-png There are key benefits to maintaining the mentor-mentee relationship. First, the longer the relationship the better. That’s just more time for them to get to know you and be able to assist you. Research might go from helping administer a survey to being an author on a manuscript. When it comes time to apply for residency, your mentor can help you craft a school list, edit your writing, and even advocate for you to certain individuals as needed. Ultimately, maintaining the relationship has numerous benefits for both personal and career growth. With that being said, if the relationship takes more effort than it’s worth, or you feel your mentor is not a good fit for you, don’t force it! Slowly back off with less frequent interactions as you look to find an alternative mentor.

Conclusion

So by now we have talked about mentorship basics, how to find a mentor, who should serve as a mentor, what you’re looking for in a good mentor, how to foster and grow the relationship, and the many benefits that come with it. Finding a mentor is not easy, but I promise it is worth the effort. The lasting impact of that mentor cannot be understated, especially if you work with them clinically. All aspects of medical training are hard, but we can make it easier by working with others who have been through it and are willing to share their wisdom.

I encourage third-years to take the initiative (if you haven’t already) and reach out to potential mentors— ideally someone you worked with to care for patients. It’s fine to simply ask for a LOR, but if you want a long-term mentorship relationship, lead with that. Remember, doctors are busy and can take some reminding to get a hold of, but they should be willing to put an effort on their end too. And, above all else, try to align yourself with mentors who share similar goals and values both inside and out of the hospital.

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How to Find a Mentor on Clinical Rotation