The MENTOR study: a national cross-sectional study of mentorship, engagement, networking, and training opportunities in research among UK medical students and resident doctors.
Abstract
Background
Despite sustained research interest among medical students and resident doctors, the UK clinical academic workforce is declining. The current study examined associations between mentorship, childhood socioeconomic disadvantage, research access, and early engagement in clinical academia.
Methods
A nationwide cross-sectional survey of UK medical students and resident doctors from January to April 2026, assessing mentorship, perceived research barriers, confidence, academic outputs, and awareness of formal academic pathways. Indices of childhood socioeconomic disadvantage and research barrier burden were developed. Multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with a high perceived research barrier burden.
Results
A total of 1255 responses was included: 848 medical students and 407 resident doctors. Among 824 respondents with complete socioeconomic data, 7% (n = 58) had high childhood socioeconomic disadvantage. Current mentorship was reported by 31% of medical students (n = 260) and 43% of resident doctors (n = 174). The most common barriers were time constraints or clinical demands (59.1%, n = 742), limited access to research-active supervisors (39.9%, n = 501), and perceived high financial costs (34.7%, n = 436). High perceived research barrier burden was more common among respondents with high childhood socioeconomic disadvantage than those with low disadvantage (34.5% vs 18.1%). After adjustment, high childhood socioeconomic disadvantage remained associated with higher perceived research barrier burden (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.20 to 4.81, P = .012), whereas current mentorship was associated with a lower perceived research barrier burden (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.34, P < .001).
Conclusion
Despite research interest, access remains uneven. Structured mentorship, transparent opportunities, financial support, and practical research training may widen access to clinical academic careers.