There are many memorable relationships on Grey’s Anatomy. Whether it’s romantic, friendship, or family, there is no shortage of amazing relationships that leave a lasting impression and make us smile.
Some of those relationships are mentorships. In the fast pace world of medicine where individuals are drawn to particular fields and look to others to learn everything there is about them, it’s common for mentor/mentee bonds to form.
Grey’s Anatomy has many of them. As you can imagine, Cristina Yang has had her fair share of mentors, but did you realize April has, too? How about Derek’s knack for choosing a favorite apprentice to take on the neurological world?
Check out our list of the best mentorships on Grey’s Anatomy. Do you agree? Disagree? Hit up the comments below and let us know what you think.
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Webber and Bailey
These two are the epitome of mentor/mentee goals. Miranda Bailey came to Seattle Grace as a soft-spoken, mousy intern, and with some guidance from Richard, she blossomed into a badass surgeon. Richard took to her early on and put his all into grooming Miranda Bailey to be his successor.
The pair has gone through hell and back together. Their relationship has experienced some turbulence and personal drama, but Miranda will always be Richard’s “work wife,” and Richard will always be her father figure.
Preston and Cristina
Burke and Yang are another example of a romantic couple who also had a mentor/mentee relationship, too. Cristina came to Seattle Grace with her heart set on Cardio, and she was drawn to Burke because of his skill. She quickly became an apprentice to him, and when he was facing a career-ending injury, she covered for him.
Their romantic relationship didn’t quite work out, but they always had a mutual respect for one another and were connected through their love of cardio. Burke left her at the altar, but he returned years later to offer her the position of a lifetime running his hospital in Switzerland.
Mark and Jackson – Plastics Posse
Despite both being in love with the same woman, these two formed an unlikely friendship and mentorship and eventually became one of the greatest work relationships of the series. After noticing Jackson’s natural skill in plastics, Mark took Jackson under his wing and taught him everything that he knew,
The duo even dubbed themselves the “Plastics Posse.” One of the most emotional scenes of the series was when Mark gave heartfelt life advice to Jackson while on his deathbed. Mark molded Jackson into the best plastic surgeon in the country, and Jackson became Mark’s legacy.
Arizona and Alex – Team Peds
Arizona and Alex are another unlikely duo. She’s chipper and bright, and he can be a curmudgeon, but together they make quite the pair. No one ever expected Alex Karev to become a Peds god. A lot of the credit for that goes to Arizona. They became quick friends, and he’s her most trusted partner when taking on cases involving tiny humans.
Bailey and M.A.G.I.C.
Is there anything more magical than Bailey and M.A.G.I.C? Who can forget the early days of the series watching Bailey dole out tough love and feign disinterest when it came to her interns. Miranda may have been hard on Meredith, Alex, George, Izzie, and Cristina, but no one can argue that she didn’t love them. In fact, they were like her children.
Bailey walked Meredith through her first pregnancy and even delivered her namesake, named her own child after George, performed surgery on Cristina, scolded Alex after he nearly went to jail, and came up with ways to keep Izzie alive when she was battling cancer. She’s down to two members now, but the mutual love and respect between Bailey, Alex and Meredith is still one of the best things about the series 13 seasons later.
Owen and April
April was always the doctor who worked hard, but she wasn’t taken seriously by her peers. When Owen went overseas for another tour, April, needing a change of pace and a break, went along with him. When they returned, she was a better, more confident doctor and she excelled in Trauma. The pair runs the Trauma floor, and Owen even chose April to be his Best Man at his wedding.
Derek and Meredith
Merder weren’t just the most iconic ‘ship of the series;, but they also happen to be one of the best mentor/mentee relationships too. They were the original Team Neuro. Derek was one of the best neurosurgeons in the country, and Meredith was drawn to the field because of her mother’s Alzheimers. They did amazing work together up until Meredith tampered with a clinical trial. Unfortunately, Meredith was forced to go into a different direction, but she’s a neurosurgeon at heart.
Dr. Thomas and Cristina
Who better to mentor Cristina than Mr. Feeny himself? One of Cristina’s finer traits is that she’s never afraid to learn new things. She’s always looking to learn more. When she took a break from Grey Sloan Memorial and headed to Minnesota, she found herself forming an unlikely bond with the seasoned, grumpy Dr. Thomas. She stuck by him until he died.
Callie and Jo- Team Ortho
This mentor/mentee relationship is one that tends to fly under the radar. Jo may come across a bit lost in the hospital at the moment, but don’t forget she’s gifted in Orthopedics. Callie was excited to have a mentee of her very own, and Jo was excited that she got to break bones. With Callie’s departure and no immediate replacement, Team Ortho was sadly short lived. It was great while it lasted though.
Derek and Lexie
Derek never shied away from keeping a capable, baby doctor under his tutelage. He had a soft spot for Little Grey, and he took to her before Meredith did. When Meredith was forced off of his service, Lexie was the next best thing. Derek had a second go at Team Neuro with Lexipedia.
Meredith and Penny
Did anyone see this one coming? Penny showing up at Meredith’s dinner party, revealing that she was Callie’s new girlfriend, and working at the hospital led to some of the most tension the show has ever had. Meredith initially saw Penny as the woman incapable of saving her husband.
When she put Penny on her service, the tension reached new heights, but Penny and Meredith had an inexplicable bond. Meredith did whatever it took to teach Penny everything she needed to know to be the best, confident, most competent doctor, in hopes that she’d never make a mistake like she did when Derek died.
Teddy and Cristina
Not even a bout of unrequited love and an awkward love triangle could get in the way of this great mentorship. Cristina was never afraid to lock onto the nearest cardio surgeon and soak up everything that she possibly could. Teddy was someone unexpected because she didn’t come with a pedigree that Cristina was familiar with, but she made Cristina an even better cardio goddess. The two were an unstoppable duo until Henry’s death led to a grief-stricken and betrayed Teddy skipping town.
Catherine and April
Catherine Avery and April did not start off on the right foot. Their relationship was always a tense one, particularly throughout April and Jackson’s marriage, and it got pretty nasty during their divorce, too. However, the two women begin heading in the right direction during season 13. Catherine took April under her wing and sees a bit of herself in April. With Catherine’s blessing, April could be moving on up and playing a bigger role in the Avery foundation.
Amelia and Stephanie
Derek isn’t the only Shepherd to take up an apprentice. Amelia formed her own Team Neuro 2.0 with the best resident in the bunch. Amelia and Stephanie are darn near inseparable, and there is no other woman Amelia wants standing by her side in the OR. They fight, makeup, and crash at each other’s houses. They’re not just mentor/mentee, they’re best friends.
Herman and Arizona
Dr. Herman didn’t appear to take too well to Arizona’s bubbly demeanor, despite Arizona being eager to learn. In fact, she was mostly unpleasant with Arizona. It turned out that she was dying, and she crammed everything there was to teach into the short amount of time she had with Arizona. They eventually became friends and Arizona saw Hernan through treatment and deterioration until the end.
Stark and April
Stark and Kepner are another example of an exuberant, peppy person being paired up with a gruff, curmudgeon. Stark was Arizona’s temporary replacement and not too many people were a fan of him. He did, however, have a soft spot for April. He pursued her romantically, but mostly he took her on as his mentee. It puzzled everyone, but there was something special about their work relationship. It worked.
Derek and Heather
Heather Brooks proves that the third time is the charm. Derek had yet another go at forming his very special Team Neuro Part III with the lovable resident, Mousy. They were absolutely adorable to watch. Heather was optimistic, bright, and eager to learn everything, and Derek was more than willing to share. Heather would have been an amazing surgeon if not for her untimely death.
Cristina and Shane
After years of being the mentee soaking up everything, there is to learn, Cristina took on the mentor role with Shane. There was something Cristina saw in Shane and they eventually begin a sexual and work relationship that went on until Cristina left. In fact, when Cristina left to take over for Burke in Switzerland, she took Shane with her.
Preston and George
A surgery gone wrong with Burke is how George got the nickname 007, but after George managed to perform open heart surgery in an elevator, the two bonded. George became Preston’s “heart guy.” They had some great moments (like when Burke let George crash with him and Yang) and some rocky moments (like when George chose Hahn over Burke for his father’s surgery), but they had quite a fun mentor/mentee relationship.
Addison and Alex
This mentorship is one that many people tend to forget about. Arizona gets all the credit for making Alex the badass Peds doctor that he is now, but let’s not forget that Addison Montgomery-Shepherd laid down the foundation. She was the first to notice his knack for obstetrics. The two had some serious sexual tension and sexytimes, but Addison also taught him a great deal about working with babies and set him on the path to Pediatrics.
Jackson and Ben – Plastics Posse 2.0
Mark taught Jackson everything that he knew, and Jackson was super excited to pay it forward. He gleefully formed a bromance with Ben and dubbed themselves the new Plastics Posse. Their friendship has been long-lasting, but Ben doesn’t appear to be as passionate about Plastics as Jackson had hoped. It was still great to have a version of the Plastics Posse again, even if it was shortlived and made us sad and nostalgic.