mentorship at qazvin medical school: a pilot study in iran

background: mentorship is not practiced in any iranian university, while it has been expanded in medical schools in some developed countries. purpose: to evaluate the results of mentorship program on the educational achievements of first-year medical students in qazvin university of medical sciences during 2000-2001 academic year. methods: the mentors were selected from the third-year volunteer students. forty five students and nine mentors (each five novices for one mentor) entered the study. at the end of the year the viewpoints of the mentees were surveyed through a self-administered questionnaire and the mentors participated in focus group discussions. results: the interpretation of the quantitative and qualitative data indicated that both mentors and mentees were satisfied with the mentorship program and stressed on its continuation for the coming years. they had found mentorship a give-and-take process and constructive in their careers. their teachers had also considered mentorship, to some extend, useful. conclusion: more studies need to be conducted to define the role of mentors more clearly and to evaluate the effects of mentorship on iranian medical students’ educational development.