Welcome to the September Edition of Vital Signs. Fall brings many changes, and the continuing impact of COVID-19 presents challenges and opportunities. I hope that the content in this issue will provide resources and information that will be helpful to all of you as you navigate medical school in the coming days.

If you are interested in contributing content for future editions of Vital Signs, please contact me directly at mbraaten@umn.edu .

Take care, and be well!

Kindly,

Maija Braaten

Learn more about the fascinating career of Cardiology through this interview with Dr. Juliette Power! The article was written by MS2 Trevor Killeen with contributions from Emily Stock, Jando Danial, Julie Power, Mohamed Amiin, Paul Cho, and Shray Malik from the Cardiology Interest Group.

Checkout year-specific recommendations below for how to make the most out of career development, depending on where you are in your medical school journey.

Welcome to medical school! As you settle into your new role as a medical student, there are many adjustments that you will be making. Academics and making connections with your classmates are key to success going forward. As time allows, there are things that you can begin doing to help support your career development.

• Check out the Career Development Toolkit as your one stop shop for resources, articles, videos, and more! Bookmark this page and watch for updates.

• Interested in learning more about the many different specialties and career paths available in medicine? The Specialties Page is a great place to start.

• Mark your calendar for November 11th for the Careers in Medicine Overview! This will be a live event on Zoom that will cover the Careers in Medicine resource and how to use it throughout your medical school journey. Zoom links and complete information is posted in Canvas.

• Attend Specialty Interest Group meetings and events that appeal to you to learn more about the career paths, meet others who are interested in the field, and much more.

• Check out a new podcast called Medical Murmors to hear interviews with doctors representing diverse specialties to learn more about career paths and other important information.

• In addition to reviewing the Specialties Pages and Career Development Toolkit, be on the lookout for more Specialty Spotlights and events sponsored by Specialty Interest Groups. Information will be posted in Canvas.

• Since shadowing opportunities have been impacted by COVID-19, we strongly recommend seeking out Informational Interviewing as a way to learn more about specialties and help with career discernment. Check out this article in Careers in Medicine that does a great job of explaining how to go about connecting with Specialty Experts and includes useful questions to ask.

• Plan to attend LIC information meetings to learn more about these learning opportunities. All of them are posted in Canvas for easy reference.

• Would you like to have a CV review and get a chance to ask questions as part of your LIC application preparation process (and career development in general)? Mark your calendar for. October 22nd. Watch your email to be able to sign-up in advance and to help with planning for breakout rooms. Complete information will be posted in Canvas.

• Check out a new podcast called Medical Murmors to hear interviews with doctors representing diverse specialties to learn more about career paths and other important information.

• Connecting with Specialty Experts and Alumni Career Development Contacts is more important now than ever. The article on informational interviews can be a great way to prepare for these conversations and forming relationships with potential mentors.

• Consider taking (or re-taking) assessments in Careers in Medicine to help with your specialty discernment process. Physician Values in Practice (PViPs) and the Medical Specialties Preference Inventory (MSPI) can be especially helpful now.

• Reach out to professional organizations associated with specialties of interest to learn more about them, get involved with upcoming conferences and other events, and more. You can easily find contact information for many of them on the Specialties Page under each content section for the individual specialties.

• Consider attending the Alumni Networking and Career Development webinar event on 9/22 at 7 p.m. Please register in advance HERE and feel free to submit questions in advance to our panelists HERE. The event will be recorded if you are not able to attend.

All of you are in the middle of finishing up your applications, MSPEs, Letters of Rec, preparing for virtual interviews, and so many other parts of the match process. Be sure to check out the weekly updates in the Information Exchanges for specific compiled events, information, and resources to help you navigate this exciting and extremely hectic time.

• Don't hesitate to reach out to your Faculty Advisors for advice and support during your application and interview process along with Specialty Experts.

• Be sure to use Big Interview Medical as the go-to tool for preparing for virtual interviews. You can also reach out to Alumni Contacts and your Faculty Advisor/other trusted mentors for feedback. The Mock Interview Quickstart Guide can help you get started.

• Consider attending the Alumni Networking and Career Development webinar event on 9/22 at 7 p.m. Please register in advance HERE and feel free to submit questions in advance to our panelists HERE. The event will be recorded if you are not able to attend.