Mentoring and the Public Health Workforce: A Scoping Review
Simon Fraser University, Canada
Alaa Almaiman
Abstract
This study aimed at better understanding mentoring in public health workforce training and identifying key issues in mentoring conceptualization and application and its potential relevance to public health. Methods included scoping literature reviews in the repositories of Medline, CINAHL, and Web of Science following recommendations in the PRISMA code. Between 2000 and June 2014, 1809 references were listed, of which 27 met inclusion criteria. The main thematic areas were the models used in mentoring, the value of mentoring, mentors’ and mentees’ perceptions and needs, attributes of successful mentoring relationships, elements for the design and evaluation of mentoring programs, and authors’ recommendations. The main conclusion is that mentoring is a growing interest in relation to developing the public health workforce. To improve mentoring models and practices, further research should be conducted.