Currently submitted to: JMIR Medical Education
Date Submitted: Sep 13, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Sep 14, 2026 - Nov 9, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
The Prepared Mentee: Using AI to Support Mentorship in Surgical Training
ABSTRACT
The importance of mentorship for career success, productivity, professional identity, and well-being in the medical profession is well-established. Despite this, a large proportion of medical students and trainees continue to lack meaningful mentorship relationships. One way to address this gap is by reframing it as not only a problem of mentor availability, but also as one of mentee-preparedness. Developing skills in goal attainment, organization, communication, and accountability may enable prospective mentees to initiate and navigate mentorship relationships more effectively. Generative artificial intelligence (AI), with its capacity for personalization and low barrier to access, represents a promising tool for supporting this process. When utilized as a “mentee coach”, AI can help trainees clarify goals, prepare for mentor interactions, organize responsibilities, and remain accountable to commitments. Rather than replacing the foundational role of the human mentor, AI may help mentees become more prepared, intentional, and effective mentees.
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