Explicating the role of turning points and relationship satisfaction throughout mentoring relationships during medical residency: A communication perspective

Horan, Lindsay F. Kelpinski

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129418 Copy

Description

Title

Explicating the role of turning points and relationship satisfaction throughout mentoring relationships during medical residency: A communication perspective

Author(s)

Horan, Lindsay F. Kelpinski

Issue Date

2025-04-21

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Guntzviller, Lisa M

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Guntzviller, Lisa M

Committee Member(s)

• Thompson, Charee M
• Barley, William C
• Lammers, John C

Department of Study

Communication

Discipline

Communication

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Mentoring
• Turning Points
• Relational Trajectory
• Relationship Development
• Interpersonal Communication
• Medical Residency
• Internal Medicine
• OB/GYN

Abstract

Medical residents often engage in mentoring relationships during their residency to further their learning and professional development. Although mentoring has been cited as a way to mitigate some of the detrimental outcomes of medical residency (e.g., high stress, burnout), existing conceptualizations of mentoring leave knowledge gaps as to how residents experience relational shifts (i.e., turning points) with their mentors and how these turning points influence residents’ relationship satisfaction and well-being. To understand the nuance in mentoring relationship development, I conducted 42 semi-structured turning point retrospective interviews with Internal Medicine and Obstetrics/Gynecology residents in 26 residencies across the United States. First, turning point and trajectory analysis was conducted using residents' retrospective graphs collected during interviews to examine patterns within and across their mentoring relationships. The reported turning points revealed that residents were particularly attuned to their mentor’s (a) support in career development and (b) communication about relational norms (e.g., consistency of communication and quality of support). Additionally, residents’ graphs of their mentoring relationship trajectories revealed that residents primarily experienced a gradual increase in relationship satisfaction with their mentors, although some experienced immediate and maintained high satisfaction, significant disruptions, or turbulence. These turning point and trajectory findings suggest that mentoring relationships are uniquely shaped by the communication patterns between mentee and mentor. Second, answering Dorrance-Hall and colleagues’ (2023) call for future turning point research to capture participants’ accounts of turning points, I conducted accounts coding and thematic analysis on the interview transcripts portion of the data. Findings suggest that medical resident mentoring relationships are a complex process that requires situated communication strategies to be both satisfying and supportive. At a broad level, the communication strategies that bolstered residents’ relationship satisfaction included (a) establishing and maintaining communication norms, (b) providing high-quality emotional and informational support targeting residents’ learning and identity, and (c) creating opportunities for residents’ passive (i.e., observational) and active learning that align with their career goals. These patterns closely aligned with known mentoring behaviors, and this study extends knowledge of these behaviors by exploring how communication qualities influence residents’ relationship satisfaction and well-being. Finally, this study offers practical interventions, including communication strategies and training criteria designed to optimize mentoring benefits for residency programs, resident mentors, and resident mentees. Together, this study contributes to both theoretical and practical advancements at the intersection of communication, mentoring, and relational turning points.

Graduation Semester

2025-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129418

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2025 Lindsay Kelpinski Horan

Owning Collections