KEY CONCEPTS

The Importance of Career Planning

Career planning needs to begin early to optimize the range of career options that will be available when each student begins the specialty selection process. First-year students need to know about the variety of factors that may limit or broaden their "competitive position," to learn about the decision-making process, and to become increasingly aware of the impact of their values, skills and interests on their career decision. Second-year students need to begin to survey and evaluate information about specialties and develop the decision making skills that will help them evaluate and narrow their range of options. Third-year students need to know how to optimize their clerkship experiences by learning to ask the key questions that will help them to narrow their alternatives, and to make strategic decisions about clerkships and electives. Fourth-year students need to strengthen their interviewing skills, finalize their range of options, and develop a realistic strategy for optimizing the matching process.

When Dean’s letter and residency applications are prepared, the awards, scholarships, and research opportunities developed in the first three years of medical school will be key to the "competitive position" of each student. Faculty advisor/career mentors are key resources in developing a personal career strategy. Plan to discuss the following topics with your support team:

Building and Managing a "Competitive Position"

The Importance of Academics for Specialty Options
The Role of Research and Publications
Elective Opportunities
Awards and AW A Selection
Role of USMLE Scores
Role of Volunteerism, Leadership Skills, and Work Experience

The Role of Self-Assessment

The importance of understanding personal and professional values (see Values Card Sort Exercise below)
AAMC Careers in Medicine on line tools for self assessment; Workbooks available in OSA
Understanding the role of personality type, learning styles, interests, and skills in specialty selection
Importance of the following factors to specialty selection

Patient Characteristics
Types of Illnesses
Autonomy
Caring for Patients
Continuity of Care
Diversity of Work
Family and Leisure Time
Focus of Expertise
Income
Innovative Thinking
Intellectual Content
Interaction with other Physicians
Manual/Mechanical Activities
Pressure
Responsibility
Schedule
Security
Sense of Accomplishment
Status Among Colleagues

Gathering Information on Specialties and Practice Environments

Accessing and processing information from web-sites, physicians, faculty
Value and role of specialty interest groups
Importance of exposure to varied practice environments
Questions to ask during core clerkships to assess potential fit for specialty

Decision-Making Processes

Learning about decision-making models
Managing the decision making process to optimize outcomes
GlaxoWellcome Pathway Evaluation Program (offered to M3 students by OSA)

Interviewing Skills

Review Residency Interview information under Careers Link

Questions to ask
Questions to expect to answer
Tips and guidelines for the interviewing process

Practice Interviews with trusted advisors
- feedback on questions and responses
- feedback on presentation, body language, etc.

Match Strategies

Review information under Careers Link
- the ultimate goal is an acceptable match
- never list programs that would not be acceptable matches
- always rank according to preference, not probability of matching

COM Career Planning Resources:

Individual Career Counseling

Faculty Advisors / Career Mentors
OSA Staff Advisors
Peer Advising ("Student-to-Student" guides, panels, web sites, student-run workshops)

Department-Sponsored Programs

Department informational sessions for M4’s
Department interest groups for all students

Office of Student Affairs Workshops

workshop open to students in these classes:

M-1

M-2

M-3

M-4

Self-Assessment (MBTI)

X

X

X

Planning your M4 Year X

Residency Application X

Residency Interviewing Skills

X

Securing The Match

X

Web-Based Resources

Self-Assessment tools:
- AAMC Careers in Medicine An interactive site for career exploration. To log on for your first visit you will need an individual access code (available through OSA Front Desk).
- Keirsey Temperament Sorter http://www.aamc.org/medcareers/
Specialty information: AAMC, Frieda, AMA, Professional Societies, Departments, Programs
Career section of OSA site (under continuous development)
Class web sites have links for many resources
List of web links

OSA-Sponsored Events

Class Orientations for each year of medical school
Spring Residency Luncheons for M-3’s (watch OSA News for dates)
Student Medical Research Forum (see OSA Calendar for date)

workshop open to students in these classes:	M-1	M-2	M-3	M-4
Self-Assessment (MBTI)	X	X	X
Planning your M4 Year			X
Residency Application				X
Residency Interviewing Skills				X
Securing The Match				X