magazinelogo

The Educational Review, USA

ISSN Online: 2575-7946 ISSN Print: 2575-7938 CODEN: TERUBB
Frequency: monthly Email: edu@hillpublisher.com
Total View: 6749369 Downloads: 1401311 Citations: 880 (From Dimensions)
OpenAlex-based citation data
  • citations

    1417
  • h-index

    13
  • i10-index

    14
ArticleOpen Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2026.05.002

Undergraduate Mentorship System in Clinical Medicine in China: Current Status, Challenges, and Optimization Strategies

Zhigong Wei1,*, Nianze Li2

1Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610000, Sichuan, China.

2West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610000, Sichuan, China.

*Corresponding author: Zhigong Wei

Published: May 12, 2026

Abstract

The undergraduate mentorship system, as an important pedagogical approach in clinical medical education, aims to foster students’ clinical proficiency, research capabilities, and professional identity through individualized guidance. The paper presents a systematic review of its implementation across Chinese medical institutions since its reintroduction in the early 2000s, tracing its development from imported Western models to localized practices. We analyze the key challenges facing the system from four interrelated dimensions: inflexible one-size-fits-all program design, inadequate faculty resource allocation, flawed operational mechanisms including mismatched mentor-student pairing, and ineffective outcome evaluation systems. Drawing on both domestic and international medical education best practices—including competency-based training frameworks, structured mentor development programs, and longitudinal student progress tracking—the paper proposes targeted optimization strategies encompassing institutional support systems, faculty incentive mechanisms, curriculum integration, and mixed-methods evaluation. We seek to provide evidence-based theoretical references and practical guidance for improving the undergraduate mentorship system to better adapt to the specific context and evolving needs of medical education in China.

Keyword

Medical education; undergraduate students; mentorship system; clinical medicine

References

Anderson, C. B., Chang, S., Lee, H. Y., & Baldwin, C. D. (2022). Mentoring barriers, expected outcomes, and practices in scientific communication: Scale development and validation. Journal of Career Development, 49(3), 697-713. 

https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845321991680

Ding, L. (2009). Undergraduate mentorship system: Significance, challenges and solutions. Heilongjiang Researches on Higher Education, 5, 74-77.

Ehsanian, V., Derijani, F., Khorraminia, M., & Eiliaei, S. (2025). Implementation and evaluation of a mentoring and counseling program for medical students at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. BMC Medical Education, 25(1), 940.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07488-x

Fatima, M., Abbas, U., Haider, S. I., Khan, A., Uqaili, A. A., Khan, A. M., & Rasheed, B. (2025). Evaluation of a medical school’s mentorship program using CIPP model: A mixed-methods study. BMC Medical Education, 26(1), 94.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-08333-x

Feeley, A. A., Feeley, I. H., Sheehan, E., Carroll, C., & Queally, J. (2024). Impact of mentoring for underrepresented groups in undergraduate medical education: A systematic review. Journal of Surgical Education, 81(3), 353-366. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2023.11.015

Grilo, S. A., Joseph, M. A., & Samari, G. (2025). Implementation and sustainability of mentorship for public health student success. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1657044.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1657044

Huang, J., Huang, C., Chen, J., & Huang, K. (2024). Perception of clinical teachers about their roles and current practice at affiliated hospitals of medical universities in China. Medical Education Online, 29(1), 2325182. 

https://doi.org/10.1080/10872981.2024.2325182

Huang, Y., Liang, H. R., & Yang, C. (2024). Analysis of the current status and relevance of the mentorship system for undergraduates in clinical medicine under the background of “double first class”. International Medicine and Health Guidance News, 30(24), 4259-4263.

Li, K., & Chen, H. (2025). Running medical education system and its development in China. Frontiers in Education, 10(10), 1513854.

https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1513854

Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, & Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China. (2012, May 7). Opinions on implementing the Excellent Doctor Education and Training Program (No. [2012] 7) [EB/OL].

http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A08/moe_740/s7952/201205/t20120507_166950.html

Morales, D. X., Grineski, S. E., & Collins, T. W. (2017). Faculty motivation to mentor students through undergraduate research programs: A study of enabling and constraining factors. Research in Higher Education, 58(5), 520-544.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-016-9435-x

Nguyen, Q. T., Pham, D. M., Nguyen, H. V., Pham, P. A., Nguyen, V. H. K., & Nguyen, N. L. K. (2025). The impact of a longitudinal mentorship program on medical students: A mixed-methods study. PLOS ONE, 20(12), e0338476. 

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0338476

Nindra, U., Shivasabesan, G., Mellor, R., Ng, W., Chua, W., Karikios, D., Richards, B., & Liu, J. (2025). Final results of the National Oncology Mentorship Program 2023 and its impact on burnout and professional fulfilment. Internal Medicine Journal, 55(2), 233-240.
https://doi.org/10.1111/imj.16574

Nwalieji, C. A., Onukansi, F. O., Anokwuru, C. C., Ikhuoria, O. V., Eneh, S. C., Nwuzoh, M. I., Shaibu, P. Y., Ojo, T. O., & Chig-ozie, O. C. (2025). Mentorship in African health and clinical research: Addressing barriers and building research capacity. Human Resources for Health, 23(1), 55.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-025-01024-0

Palfreyman, D. M., Mash, R., Mirfield, P., Pearson, R. A., Probert, P., Ryan, A., Shale, S., Smith, A. M., & Smith, E. C. (2019). The Oxford tutorial: Thanks, you taught me how to think. Oxford Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies.

Peng, Y. F. (2023). The “knots” and “solutions” in the practice of undergraduate professional mentorship system in application-oriented universities. Higher Education Forum, 7, 62-65.

Sethia, R., Sheehan, C. C., Danforth, D., Essig, G., Jr., Teknos, T. N., & Elmaraghy, C. A. (2020). ENT mentorship program for pre-clinical medical students. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 163(2), 198-203. 

https://doi.org/10.1177/0194599819900261

Skjevik, E. P., Boudreau, J. D., Ringberg, U., Schei, E., Stenfors, T., Kvernenes, M., & Ofstad, E. H. (2020). Group mentorship for undergraduate medical students—A systematic review. Perspectives on Medical Education, 9(5), 272-280. 

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-020-00610-3

Teo, M. Y. K., Ibrahim, H., Lin, C. K. R., Hamid, N. A. B. A., Govindasamy, R., Somasundaram, N., … Krishna, L. K. R. (2024). Mentoring as a complex adaptive system—A systematic scoping review of prevailing mentoring theories in medical education. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), 726.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05707-5

Wang, S. Z., Xu, Z. W., Zhu, Y. Q., Ding, X. Y., Cao, S. Z., & Lv, Z. Y. (2022). Exploration and practice of undergraduate tutorial system of top-notch innovative talents in basic medicine. Medical Education Management, 8(3), 265-269.

Wang, W. (2021). Medical education in China: Progress in the past 70 years and a vision for the future. BMC Medical Education, 21(1), 453.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02875-6

Whicker, S. A., Engle, D. L., Chudgar, S., DeMeo, S., Bean, S. M., Narayan, A. P., … Nagler, A. (2016). A meaningful MESS (Medical Education Scholarship Support). Medical Education Online, 21(1).
https://doi.org/10.3402/meo.v21.32458

Yin, Z. Y., Wu, T. F., Li, J. H., Zheng, J. M., Xia, Y., & Yu, L. N. (2025). Exploration of undergraduate mentorship system practice in medical colleges and universities. Zhejiang Medical Education, 24(03), 129-134.

Copyright

© 2026 by the author(s).
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not modified or adapted.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

How to cite this paper

Undergraduate Mentorship System in Clinical Medicine in China: Current Status, Challenges, and Optimization Strategies

How to cite this paper: Zhigong Wei, Nianze Li. (2026). Undergraduate Mentorship System in Clinical Medicine in China: Current Status, Challenges, and Optimization StrategiesThe Educational Review, USA10(5), 268-274.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2026.05.002