Mentoring among close peers: an opportunity to humanize medical training

Abstract

Medical training currently occurs in contexts marked by high academic demands, frequent assessments, and rigid hierarchical structures. In such environments, learning is often centered on observable performance, while uncertainty and mistakes are typically endured in silence, with limited opportunities for emotional or academic support. Within this framework, this paper examines peer mentoring among closely matched colleagues as a formative practice aimed at humanizing medical education. Although peer mentoring has traditionally been implemented as a strategy to reinforce academic content and enhance performance, this narrow view overlooks its broader potential in professional development. The proximity between mentor and mentee fosters supportive spaces where doubts, error, and requests for help can be openly expressed without fear of sanction or delegitimization, thereby promoting reflective and collaborative learning. However, realizing this potential requires specific conditions: well-defined roles, adequate training and continuous support for mentors, faculty oversight, and intentional integration into the institutional educational project. Recognizing close-peer mentoring as a formative practice entails moving beyond academic metrics to acknowledge   that learning medicine is a demanding, relational process constructed collectively. This perspective challenges institutions to critically reflect on the role they assign to structured accompaniment in the formation of the future physician.