All therapists want to make ourselves and our patients better.  But what is the best way for this to occur?  We can work to gain experience (trial and error per se), through attending courses, soaking up as much as we can from our more ‘seasoned’ colleagues, or through formal training, which typically includes mentoring.  Research shows that those with certifications, credentials, and advanced training become more efficient with our patient care, are better at differential diagnoses, etc.^{1, 2}  I’ve been involved in physical therapy residency training for over 20 years and am asked is it worth it to do formal ‘mentoring’?  This question can be related to those who seek it, those who provide it, and those that oversee the environments where mentoring occurs.

Mentoring in its simplest form is to give help or advice to a less experienced and often younger person (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).  This frequently occurs in the professional setting to advance the growth of the mentee and has been considered a cornerstone in medical training.  We know that mentoring can occur formally or informally.  Watching and absorbing how those around us with more experience approach patient care will lead all therapists to mimic things that produce positive outcomes.  Having interactions about patient care with those around us, asking questions, probing and diving into the rationale and reasoning will lead to an enhanced learning curve for all involved.  These interactions typically occur between the younger, more novice clinician and the more seasoned, experienced therapists.  This interaction can occur informally during conversations in the clinic, during non-patient care time, and during educational situations.  But the question arises at some point whether one should formalize those interactions and commit to planned mentoring such as occurs with residency and fellowship training?

Questioning if mentoring is ‘worth it’ often is a question which often prevents people from taking those steps and the commitment into involvement in formal training.  Many feel it can ‘just happen’ when it might.  But, for those who seek formal residency and fellowship, mentoring is the key difference in the learning process.

Mentoring involves three critical components; the mentee; the mentor; and the organization / environment³.  Those who seek mentoring wonder if they should take the time and cost to do this.  Those who mentor wonder if it is too much of a drain on their time and energy to become involved in any way.  Organizations wonder if it is worth their time and resources to support this endeavor (EG: lost productivity).

We know from medical literature that mentoring can be beneficial for all those parties involved^4,5.  But we often ask if this also true in the physical therapy profession.  While it can be difficult to separate it from the rest of the formal training (EG: residency / fellowship), we know that mentoring will lead to a variety of outcomes for all parties involved.

For the mentee, there is literature in our profession to support the following:

• Less burnout⁶
• Greater learning and patient outcomes⁷
• Greater outcomes in becoming a board specialist (~10+ percent higher pass rate for those in residency training) ⁸
• Greater salary⁹
• Enhanced clinical reasoning and decision-making^2,10

For those who are involved as the mentor there is:

• Higher self motivation^6,11
• Enhanced engagement in patient care and the learning process¹¹
• Benefits of continued learning and development¹¹
• Benefits toward maintenance of certification¹²

For the sites / organizations supporting residency (EG: the clinic):

• Enhanced retention¹³
• Less burnout⁶
• Greater ultimate monetary benefits (even with temporatay ‘lost productivity’)¹³
• Greater status in the community and medical profession by being known for involvement in advanced training.¹¹

There are many intangibles that we know occur with formal mentoring and training.  We know that APTA notes that benefits of specialization as 1) elevated competency; 2) career advancement; 3) professional recognition; and 4) leading the profession.  A key to success always seems to come down to the learning that occurs through mentoring.  In a recent study, we surveyed residency mentors and mentees about the benefits of mentoring.  Key items noted those previously reflected including reduced burnout, improved communication, elevated level of practice through out the organization.  Everyone grew to become more reflective, confident, and skilled as noted though themselves, their colleagues, the medical community and general public.  When asked what the key to residency training was, the overwhelming response was MENTORING.¹¹

There shouldn’t be any concern about supporting this effort, whether as a mentee, mentor, or organization.  Perhaps the question shouldn’t be whether ‘should I be involved with mentoring’, but instead ‘why am I not benefiting from being involved with mentoring?’

1. Souter C, Musy E, e al.  Educational and Experiential Factors Associated With Physical Therapists’ Diagnostic Reasoning.J Phys Ther Educ. 2019; 33(3):p 198-208
2. Cunningham S, Litwin B, Fernandez-Fernandez A, Canbek J. Influence of residency training on the clinical reasoning
3. Development of Kenyan physiotherapists. J Man Manip Ther. 2019;27(4):237-244American Physical Therapy Association. (2025). APTA Guide to Successful Mentoring. Retrieved from https://www.apta.org/for-educators/APTA_Guide_to_Successful_Mentoring
4. Straus SE, Chatur F, Taylor M. Issues in the mentor‐mentee relationship in academic medicine: a qualitative study. Acad Med. 2009;84(1):135‐139
5. Toh et al. BMC Medical Education: The role of mentoring, supervision, coaching, teaching and instruction on professional identity formation: a systematic scoping review.  (2022) 22:531 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03589-z
6. Pugliese, M. S., Brismée, J.-M., Allen, B., Riley, S. P., Tammany, J., & Mintken, P.. (2023). Mentorship and self-efficacy are associated with lower burnout in physical therapists in the United States: a cross-sectional survey study. Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions, 20, 27. Epub Sept 27, 2023
7. Williams A, Rushton A, Lewis JJ, Phillips C (2019) Evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of a work-based mentoring programme to develop clinical reasoning on patient outcome: A stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial. PLoSONE 14(7): e0220110, 2019
8. American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS)/APTA, June 2025
9. A Physical Therapy Profile: Wages Earned in the Profession, 2021-22.  A report from American Physical Therapy Association. July 2023
10. Souter C, Musy E, e al.  Educational and Experiential Factors Associated With Physical Therapists’ Diagnostic Reasoning.J Phys Ther Educ. 2019; 33(3):p 198-208.
11. Smith K, Scheumann T, Farrell K. Mentoring presentation – ELC or AAOMPT
12. ABPTS MOSC requirements (Maintain Your Certification | APTA Specialist Certification – Governed by ABPTS)
13. Hagen, C. AAOMPT presentation, 2024