UMN Vital Signs: A Career Development Newsletter
September 6, 2022, Volume 4, Issue 1
Welcome to the September 2022 Edition of Vital Signs! What great energy and connection in our in-person Orientation, White Coat Ceremonies and BaDr week!
If you are interested in contributing content for future editions of Vital Signs, please contact me directly at baue0437@umn.edu. Our career development team is expanding and so are our services for you!
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.
2021-2022 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.
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 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.
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 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. Stay tuned for class-specific checklists coming your way!
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.
Looking ahead, plan to attend the Careers in Medicine Overview on (9/21) for TC Campus and (9/29) 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.
Attend and explore options in our virtual events: Career Fair (10/18)
DEI in Medicine Career Fair (10/25)
Explore your Values and PViPs Workshop (11/21)
Lastly, start checking out specialty interest groups and their spotlights. Details will be in email and Canvas calendar.
MS-2s
As you dig into the fall curriculum, set aside time to explore specialty options through our inaugural virtual Career Fair (10/18)! Be sure to check out specialty interest groups and their spotlights to see connections between what you are studying and potential career paths.
Keep growing an understanding of yourself and how you can positively impact the medical community with our virtual DEI in Medicine Career Fair (10/25) event and Explore your Values and PViPs Workshop (11/21).
Put your skills to paper in our CV Workshop on (11/1) for Duluth Campus and (11/3) for TC Campus to get a head start on a key application component.
Watch Canvas and your emails for more information. 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. 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. View the BaDr/Intersession slides and audio here.
Don't forget to register for ERAS so you can start the formal paperwork process for Letters of Recommendation. Email resapp@umn.edu if your token is lost in email.
MS-4s
The countdown is on for Residency Applications. Programs will receive materials on September 28th. Watch for updates and reminders in the Friday Information Exchanges (Aug 26th Issue), and reach out to resapp@umn.edu and your Faculty Advisor with questions about this process.
Review materials from BaDr III/Intersession including Dr. Kim’s overview, the Residency Application Strategies, and Specialty Experts Panel.
Navigating the Residency Application Slides
Next up, hone your interviewing skills with Big Interview Medical. Use your UMN credentials for login.
You've got this!