UMN Vital Signs: A Career Development Newsletter

September 3, 2021, Volume 3, Issue 1

Welcome to the September 2021 Edition of Vital Signs! As we are beginning a new academic year, there is much to celebrate with being able to safely offer more in person learning opportunities and welcoming the new MS-1 students on campus for Orientation. It was amazing to see the Class of 2025 at the in person White Coat Ceremony and feel the energy and excitement of joining UMN Medical School.

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

Launching this Fall: 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 new Student Career and Professional Development Advisory Board. This board will be inclusive and will consist of 9-12 students representing both TC and Duluth Campuses from as well as the Office of Student Affairs. More details are below:

Purpose:

  • 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

Expectations:

  • To meet routinely 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.


The first step towards being involved is to submit the interest and application form by September 30th. Maija Braaten will be in contact in early October to coordinate the first introductory board meeting to get acquainted and establish plans and goals for future meetings.


Thank you for considering! Questions? Contact Maija Braaten at mbraaten@umn.edu.


What Can I Be Doing Now?

Class-specific suggestions for ways to support career and professional development.

MS-1s

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. If you are interested in joining the new Career and Professional Development Advisory Board, please apply!

Looking ahead to October, plan to attend the Careers in Medicine Overview on October 6th for TC and October 8th for Duluth Campus. During this time, you will have a full orientation to resources and information to help support your career development throughout medical school Also, be sure to checkout Specialty Spotlights of interest. These sessions occur live over the lunch hour and are also recorded as resources. Complete details are posted in Canvas and you will also have email reminders.

MS-2s

As you dig into the fall curriculum, be sure to check out Specialty Spotlights of interest to see connections between what you are studying and potential career paths. Highlights include Heart and Lung Week, Primary Care Week, Orthopaedic Surgery, Dermatology, and more! Watch Canvas and your emails for dates and Zoom access. Looking forward to seeing you there!

MS-3s

As you are settling into rotations, now is the time to reflect upon your experiences and delve deeper into the specialty discernment process. 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. Also, be sure to check out the recording of Program Directors as they discussed the specialty discernment process and other key information during Intersession.

MS-4s

The countdown is on for Residency Applications. Programs will receive materials on September 29th. Watch for updates and reminders in the Friday Information Exchanges, and reach out to resapp and your Faculty Advisor with questions about this process.

Also, make sure to review materials from Intersession.

  • Recording of Dr. Kim and Maija Braaten’s presentations

  • Recording of the Program Director panel on Residency Applications, Virtual Interviews, and more

  • Slides from Maija Braaten’s session

You've got this!