UMN Vital Signs: A Career Development Newsletter
October 5, 2023, Volume 5, Issue 1
Wow, what a start to the Fall! There has been great energy and connection in Orientation, BaDr week and the flurry of residency applications; hopefully you are each hitting your stride. This newsletter is a seasonal check on your career development and the most relevant time-connected resources.
If you are interested in contributing content (stories, opportunities, etc...) for future editions of Vital Signs, please contact me directly at baue0437@umn.edu.
Best wishes,
Megan Bauer-Erickson
Share Your Thoughts: Student Career and Professional Development Advisory Board
Are you interested in providing leadership and sharing your voice in medical student career and professional development? If so, consider applying to join the Student Career and Professional Development Advisory Board. This board consists of 9-12 students representing both TC and Duluth Campuses in tandem with the Office of Student Affairs.
Purpose of the board
To develop relevant and innovative programs and services that address the changing career development needs of medical students
To build a more cohesive and comprehensive network of career development support that does not compete with each other and to better coordinate planning and execution of events and services. Support and programming will be both student-led as well as offered/supported through the office of Student Affairs.
To connect and communicate with students and administration, foster an environment of open collaboration with career development initiatives
To align with the medical school’s mission and provide specific paths for career development initiatives
To include representatives from Specialty Interest Groups in the main three career cluster themes of Primary Care, Surgical, and Hospital Based Care as well as Undecided
To share feedback and collaborative programming/services planning with school leadership
Expectations of the board
To meet 3-4 times an academic year for 45-60 minutes via Zoom to discuss student needs, interests related to professional/career development and specifically career discernment. These meetings likely will be in the early evening to maximize attendance.
To share ideas and coordinate planning for events, resources, and other services connected to career development.
Previous Board Accomplishments
Providing ongoing feedback on career development programming, resources, and services to identify strengths and opportunities
Assisting with planning and organizing the first ever medical school career fair (Fall 2022)
Facilitating Specialty Interest Group Summits to help improve communication and relationship building between student leaders from the TC and Duluth Campuses.
Indicate your interest here by October 30th. We'll be in touch to coordinate the introductory board meeting to get acquainted and establish plans and goals for future meetings.
Thank you for considering! Questions? Contact Megan at baue0437@umn.edu.
What Can I Be Doing Now?
Class-specific suggestions for ways to support career and professional development. Click the "MS-#" to go to the streamlined checklist!
Right now the focus is on settling into life as a new medical student. Enjoy getting to know your peers, diving into basic science curriculum, and transforming into a medical learner.
Upcoming is the October Careers in Medicine Overview (Student Affairs Course). During this time, you will have a full orientation to resources and information to help support your career development throughout medical school.
Take a peek a the Career website.
Lastly, start checking out specialty interest groups and their spotlights. Details will be in email, calendar and medopps tool.
As you dig into the fall curriculum, set aside time to explore specialty options! Be sure to check out specialty interest groups and their spotlights to see connections between what you are studying and potential career paths. Also utilize your resources, continue your self exploration and build your skills as needed.
Put your skills to paper in our CV Workshop on (10/31) for Duluth Campus and (11/2) for TC Campus to get a head start on a key application component. (Timed to assist in LIC application preparation).
These are some of the top actions or resources for expanding your specialty information to inform your decision making and transitioning to clinical experiences.
Review Specialty Pages
Participate in specialty related events and opportunities
Attend information sessions and meetings around clinical scheduling options in winter (longitudinal integrated clerkships, lanes, faculty advisor and academic advising meetings)
Keep growing an understanding of yourself and how you can positively impact the medical community, explore this checklist for suggestions.
As you are settling into rotations, now is the time to reflect upon your experiences and delve deeper into the specialty discernment process. Take some reflective notes in each rotation and develop those relationships.
Be sure to review the assessments offered in Careers in Medicine, such as Medical Specialty Preference Inventory and Physician Values in Practice. Connect with Specialty Experts to learn more about specialties of interest and get more advice about ways to begin early preparation for residency applications and acquiring Letters of Recommendation. See the checklist for details.
Don't forget to register for ERAS so you can start the formal paperwork process for Letters of Recommendation. You will see a reminder token invite this month.
Whew! Residency Applications are in and you are managing your interviewing schedules. Watch for program communication and updates and reminders in our periodic Residency Information Exchanges (Sept 29th Issue), and reach out to resapp@umn.edu and your Faculty Advisor with questions.
Take a deep breath.
Next up, hone your interviewing skills with Big Interview Medical. Use your UMN credentials for login.
You've got this!