Mentorship in Surgery: More than Teaching, a Lifelong Investment

concept in health professionals' education and training, ensuring that mentorship is a fundamental part of surgical education and practice. 1 Mentorship DynaMicsSurgery adopted mentorship later than other fields, such as sports and business.Still, it evolved relatively quickly to the passage of wisdom beyond knowledge and skill into a winning relationship, leading to the advancement of both parties.The mentor (an experienced, qualified surgeon) benefits from the satisfaction of passing on their knowledge and skills, while the mentee (a junior, less experienced surgical trainee) gains valuable insights and guidance, accelerating their professional development.It constitutes a developmental partnership.It is active in both ways, whether as a planned, designated (assigned) role or developed spontaneously.The mentor brings up his wisdom and surgical life (integrity, professional standing, and network) in an open way to support, protect, and guide the second party who endorses the willingness to learn.Mentorship comes in many shapes, sizes, styles, and types.Nonetheless, its most critical aspects are the commitment to teaching and learning, concern for guiding the next generation, focus on purpose, mutual trust, and the use of emotional intelligence to connect and influence.It is worth mentioning that areas of guidance have also evolved beyond the profession into academic guidance (promotion, advancement, and research), personal well-being, and a more balanced lifestyle. BenefitsFurthermore, beyond the mutually beneficial relationship, the academic institutions learned that endorsing a formal mentorship program can positively impact work performance, employee retention, and cost-effectiveness.The current evidence supports