UMN Medical School Vital Signs:

A Career Development Newsletter

April 7, 2020 Volume 1, issue 3

Welcome to the final edition of Vital Signs for the 2019-2020 academic year. We hope that each and every one of you are doing well and are adjusting to life during COVID-19. The Virtual Match Day (image featured on the left or above, depending on your view) illustrates one of the many ways we have adapted to social distancing obstacles and leveraged creativity and technology to help overcome challenges.

In this issue, you can learn more about the outstanding Match of the Class of 2020, discover career discernment insights from a UMN alumnus as well as a 2020 graduate who matched in Orthopedic Surgery, explore great ideas for recharging from the Purpose Dimension of the Well Being Committee, and much more!

Take care and stay healthy and safe. Please let me know if you have ideas or content you would like to share in future editions of Vital Signs.

In kindness,

Maija Braaten

mbraaten@umn.edu

Congratulations to the Class of 2020!

This year's Match was a tremendous success. Some highlight include:

Top 10 Specialties

23.5% Family Medicine
16.2% Internal Medicine
9.8% Pediatrics
7.4% Emergency Medicine
6.4% Psychiatry
3.9% OB/Gyn
3.4 Anesthesia
3.4% Neurology
3.4% Pain Management and Rehabilitative Medicine

Also of Note

47.2% of Matched graduates stayed in MN
53.4% matched in Primary Care

Access the detailed results HERE.

Life as a Physician by Dr. Bonnie Hill, UMN School of Medicine Class of 1979

As medical students, each of you will continue your career journey after you graduate. Read the following ESSAY by UMN alumnus Dr. Bonnie Hill to gain insight into the process of choosing a career and balancing priorities for happiness and as well as fulfillment. Photography by Julie Reiter.

Musings on Meaning in Medicine

Looking for inspiration during COVID-19 and social distancing? Check out these great books & podcasts compiled by the Purpose Dimension of the Well Being Committee (WBC). Access the list HERE

Coming soon: Resident Mentoring Program!

We are excited to announce the development of a Residency Mentorship Program. The goal of this program will be to provide specialty specific resources and guidance for students that have honed in on a specialty. At this time, we have identified 70+ willing mentors (ranging from successfully matched MS4s through those in PGY5+) who are excited to serve in this capacity. Specialties represented include, but are not limited to, Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Otolaryngology, General Surgery, Family Med, OB/GYN, Psychiatry, Neurology, IM, EM, PM&R, and Neurosurgery. We are currently working to use information provided by these future mentors to structure the program and develop resources. We would like to thank our former Executive Student Council President, Jamie Schlarbaum, for providing the initiative and groundwork for this program as he prepares to begin his residency. We look forward to launching this initiative next year!

Mackenzie Dutton

Himal Purani

Jamie Schlarbaum

Sarah Sneltjes

Eric Nagarajan

Joy Harris

Benjamin Kofoed

Student Specialty Spotlight: Orthopedic Surgery with Lily Wood, Class of 2020

Curious to hear about successful strategies for choosing a career path and matching in Orthopedic Surgery or other surgical specialties? Check out this interview with graduating MS-4 Lily Wood.

New Specialty Feature - Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency

We are pleased to support students who are interested in pursuing a career in cardiothoracic surgery. The current fast-track residency program is 6 years, and there are 29 different programs offering 38 slots per year. Here is some recent information about applying to this exciting specialty published by residents in the field:

(1) Developing a Successful Residency Application: https://www.jtcvs.org/article/S0022-5223(19)32218-4/fulltext

(2) Navigating Interviews and the Match: https://www.jtcvs.org/article/S0022-5223(20)30509-2/fulltext

There will be a new CT Surgery Interest Group to support students interested in exploring this field. The purpose of this group is to expose students to the field of cardiothoracic surgery, cultivate skills that are transferable to other surgical specialties, and provide meaningful research and mentorship opportunities to those interested. We are currently planning exciting events including a new transplant shadowing program, journal clubs with faculty, and skills workshops (suturing, aortic valve wet lab, robotic surgery skills sessions).

Please fill out this Google Form if interested in serving on the inaugural executive board or to become part of our ongoing Listserv:

https://forms.gle/gGebUsE7LHNyYh7K6

Contact CTSIG.UMN@gmail.com for more information!

What to be doing now?

Read below for some specific ideas for how to make the most of time for career development.

MS-1s

Successfully navigating the homestretch of your adapted first year curriculum is the top priority to set you up for future career success. As your schedules allow, you may want to consider the following:

Review information in the new Career Development Toolkit for Understanding Yourself and Exploring your Options phases. Although opportunities to gain clinical experiences and shadowing are directly impacted by COVID-19, there are still many things you can do to gain insight into yourself through Careers in Medicine assessments, researching potential specialties, updating your CV, and other action items.
Monitor your email for any announcements related to virtual events to enhance career exploration.
Keep connected with your Faculty Advisor for professional and career development advice. Group meetings will be occurring in May - watch your email and monitor Canvas for updates.
Consider journaling about your current experiences. Your observations and reflections during this challenging time can help inform career decision making and identify what matters most to you for your path. Here is an ARTICLE and a VIDEO if you are interested in getting started.

MS-2s

Balancing Step 1 preparation and beginning MS-3 adapted curriculum are the highest priorities. As your schedules allow, you may want to consider the following:

Review information in the new Career Development Toolkit for Exploring your Options and possibly Choosing a Specialty phases. Although opportunities to gain clinical experiences and shadowing are directly impacted by COVID-19, there are still many things you can do to gain insight into yourself through Careers in Medicine assessments, researching potential specialties, updating your CV, and other action items.
Monitor your email for any announcements related to virtual events to enhance career exploration.
Consider journaling about your current experiences. Your observations and reflections during this challenging time can help inform career decision making and identify what matters most to you for your path. Here is an ARTICLE and a VIDEO if you are interested in getting started.

MS-3s

Review the Virtual Residency Workshop materials beginning on April 17th to gain access to important information.
Access information in the new Career Development Toolkit for Choosing a Specialty and Preparing to Match. Although opportunities to gain clinical experiences and shadowing are directly impacted now, there are still many things you can do to gain insight into yourself through Careers in Medicine assessments, researching potential specialties and programs, updating your CV, developing your Noteworthy Characteristics and Personal Statement, and other action items.
Begin signing up for your MSPE appointments with your Faculty Advisor via Zoom. Watch your email for correspondence from your Faculty Advisor and instructions for signing up for your appointment.
Monitor your email for weekly Information Exchanges for Residency Application/Match and other important/timely announcements.

MS-4s

Congratulations and celebrations for the incredible accomplishments! We are so proud of you and the work you will achieve as you begin life as a resident.

As you are in the homestretch of moving/preparing to begin residency, here are reminders about the Virtual Commencement on May 1st:

By April 10, send us the following using this Google Form:

A photo of you (does not need to be a professional headshot) and some written parting words to your classmates or words of gratitude for your support network (no more than 50 words)

A video of you shot horizontally or landscape (not vertically) offering some parting words to your classmates or words of gratitude for your support network (no more than 15 seconds)

Note: If you don’t send anything, we will use only your name and photos from your ERAS headshot and White Coat Ceremony.

The number of Commencement programs you would like (five programs max per person) and your mailing address, so that we can mail them to you.

By April 24, we will send you the information to join the virtual Commencement ceremony on May 1.

On May 1, you will join the virtual ceremony and hear from your Commencement speakers and classmates. Then, this summer, you will receive your diploma in the mail as originally planned.

While we look forward to hosting this virtual Commencement, we understand that it’s nowhere close to replicating the pride you feel as you receive your hood. Yet, we knew by finding a way to celebrate your moment, it would bring some light back into such an odd, unsettling time for all of us. Together, we can still make this event one that you will cherish for years to come.

We look forward to hearing from you all on this special day.

Sincerely,

Bob Englander, MD, MPH

Associate Dean

Undergraduate Medical Education

University of Minnesota Medical School

If you have any questions, please contact Rachel Rudeen (rude0105@umn.edu).

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