Career Advising

Career Advisement System

Students receive career advisement from their first day on campus. The career advisement system is an integrated network of faculty, staff, residents, and student peer mentors. Medical students have access to resources and individuals trained to assist them in their career options through multiple components and venues. The three major components of this system are the Veritas Program, the Office of Student Affairs, and the Departmental Faculty. Combined, these three components serve to comprehensively advise students about their physician careers.

Veritas

Veritas is a school-wide vertical mentoring and advising system. This system allows faculty and advanced students to aid in student success. After admission, students are assigned to one of twenty Veritas groups. These groups are comprised of students from each class, along with faculty and resident mentors. Each group is assigned to one of five societies. These societies partake in on-campus events together throughout the medical school years.

Veritas faculty mentors meet with students regularly throughout their academic experience to discuss their career goals, provide information on career direction, and direct students to appropriate resources to meet these goals. Fourth-year students (called Mentors in Medicine, or MiMs) and second-year mentors (called Veritas Peer Advisors, or VPAs) provide guidance at monthly meetings about navigating medical school. The Veritas program encourages student to use the Association of American Medical Colleges'(AAMC) Careers in Medicine to aid in career advising and specialty selection.

Detailed program information

Office of Student Affairs

The deans and directors in the Office of Student Affairs provide career advising to students through various services and regularly scheduled events:

Drop-In Advising Hour

Students with questions related to academic advising are encouraged to attend the weekly Drop-In Advising Hour, hosted by student affairs deans and directors. During these sessions, students can ask questions and seek guidance about academic issues. Common questions include choosing correct electives, successful completion of licensing exams, and information about class modules. Drop-In Advising Hour is held weekly on Wednesday afternoon from 1-2 p.m.

Events

The Office of Student Affairs sponsors career advising events for students at various stages of their academic careers. In the first year, at the new student orientation/retreat, students are provided access to the AAMC Careers in Medicine website and attend a session lead by a fourth-year medical student on how to utilize the program, including the various assessment tools. The resources and tools available through the AAMC Careers in Medicine website are promoted throughout the second year in Veritas meetings and activities as well. Several events during a student’s third year, such as Career Day and the Fourth Year Orientation, give students the opportunity to interact one-on-one with Program Directors from various specialties to further refine their career options. Residency Roundup, another third-year event sponsored by the Alumni Association, gives students the opportunity to interact with Alumni in their prospective fields. In the final years of the program, students receive targeted coaching and more individual guidance as they apply to residency programs.

Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) and Residency Advising

At the end of third year, students meet individually with the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education to discuss the development of their MPSE and residency applications. The Associate Dean serves as an advisor, helping students to understand where they stand in relation to their field and answer questions about away rotations, application and match timelines and their fourth-year schedules.  Students are also encouraged to talk with departmental faculty advisors for further guidance on applying to a given specialty and/or program.

Individual Advising

Students seeking information related to career development can request individual appointments with deans and directors in student affairs.

Departmental Faculty Advisors

Informally, all faculty members serve as advisors to students on specialty selection, but most clinical departments have faculty members who serve a more formal role as career advisors.  These faculty members are familiar with current trends within their specialty and can provide up to date information and guidance to students. The departmental faculty advisors sponsor specialty interest groups for early career exploration, provide advice on elective selection and residency program application, and participate in various programs throughout the year in partnership with the Office of Student Affairs.