Career Advising Program
Personalized Career Development at Every Stage
From the first year to the final year of medical school, students engage in career exploration, self-assessment, specialty decision-making, and residency preparation. The program is integrated into the medical school experience through one-on-one career advising, workshops, and valuable tools to help students navigate their career paths with confidence.
Tailored Career Advising Workshops
To further support students in their career development, the Careers in Medicine Blackboard page offers a variety of Career Advising Workshops. These workshops provide targeted guidance on key topics such as:
- 4 Year Plan to a Great Residency
- Mapping Your Future
- Choosing Your Electives
- How to Fill Out the Applications
Students can easily access these resources at any time and ensure they are well-prepared for the next steps in their medical journey.
Access the Careers in Medicine Blackboard PageCareer Advising Program Guides
The Career Advising Program Guides provide a structured roadmap to help medical students navigate career exploration and decision-making throughout their four years of medical school. Each guide is tailored to a specific year, outlining key career advising activities, important milestones, and available resources to support students at every stage of their journey.
MS1 Career Advising Program Guide
MS2 Career Advising Program Guide
MS3 Career Advising Program Guide
MS4 Career Advising Program Guide
Career Advising Appointments
Medical students are required to meet with their assigned career advisor at least once per semester. Your career advisor offers general advising about career exploration, helps you clarify your goals and priorities, offers shadowing opportunities, and reviews the AAMC career advising resources.
Appointments are scheduled and completed through Handshake, ensuring seamless access to career advising support.
Schedule Your Career Advising AppointmentCareer Advising Discussion Topics
Each year of medical school brings new challenges and important decisions. To help guide you through the process, your Career Advisor is available to discuss key topics relevant to your stage of training. These career advising prompts are designed to help you make the most of your advising appointments.
Important items to discuss with your advisor during year one
✔ Establish a rapport with your advisor
How can your advisor be of most help to you?
How often would you like to meet up with your advisor?
✔ Adjustment to medical school
How are you handling the workload?
Are you receiving the support you need academically and personally?
✔ Curricular Concerns
Discuss your performance thus far in medical school
Do you have questions about the curriculum?
Are you aware of resources?
✔ Background and Influences
How did you decide to become a physician?
What was the most influential factor in your decision?
✔ Specialty Choice
What is important to you in your future practice of medicine
What skills do you have that you would like to incorporate into your career?
What are your interests?
What specialties are you drawn to?
What interests you about those specialties?
What do you know about your specialty options?
✔ Summer Plans
How would you like to spend the summer between your first and second years?
Do the specialties your considering require research or other experiences to be competitive?
Important items to discuss with your advisor during year two
✔ Adjustment to second-year curriculum
How are you handling the workload?
Are you receiving the support you need academically and personally?
✔ Curricular Concerns
How are you doing thus far in medical school?
Describe your preparation for the USMLE Step 1 Exam
What questions or concerns do you have about clinical rotations and scheduling your third year?
✔ Specialty Choice
What is important to you in your future practice of medicine?
What skills do you have that you would like to incorporate into your career?
What are your interests?
What specialties are you currently drawn to?
What interests you about those specialties?
What do you know about your specialty options?
What do you still need to know to make your decision?
Important items to discuss with your advisor during year three
✔ Adjustment to clinical curriculum
How are you handling the workload?
Are you receiving the support you need academically and personally?
✔ Curricular Concerns
Describe your performance so far in your clinical rotations
What feedback have you received on your clinical evaluations?
How would you like to arrange your fourth-year rotations?
Describe your preparation for Step 2
✔ Specialty Choice
What specialties are you currently interested in?
What rotations have you completed so far?
What have you liked/disliked about your rotations?
How do you feel about:
providing inpatient vs outpatient care?
working with different age ranges?
providing diagnostic-oriented care vs. performing procedures?
dealing with breadth vs depth of patient problems?
providing short term vs long term or continuous care?
Having direct vs indirect communication with patients?
Shift work vs non-shift work
Have your rotations confirmed your interests?
Have you explored your specialty interests outside of predominantly hospital-based practices?
How competitive are you for the specialties you are considering?
✔ Exploring residency
Where are you considering applying for residency?
What factors are most important to you in considering where you’d like to complete your training?
✔ Decision-Making Strategy
What other information or experiences do you need that will help you narrow your options?
What barriers or concerns do you have or foresee about choosing your specialty?
✔ Preparing for residency application
How familiar are you with the MATCH process and timeline?
Have you requested letters of recommendation from faculty?
What is your parallel plan if you fail to match into your preferred program or specialty?
Important items to discuss with your advisor during year four
✔ Curricular Concerns
What senior year rotations have you completed?
What electives have you completed?
Describe your performance so far in your clinical rotations?
✔ Specialty Choice
What factors are most important to you in choosing a specialty?
What specialty/ies are you considering?
How well do your qualifications match with specialty/ies you’re considering?
How confident are you in your specialty decision?
If you are undecided, what would help you to make a decision and how can we help?
✔ Selecting Programs
Where are you considering applying for residency?
What factors are most important to you in considering where you’d like to complete your training?
How may programs are you planning to apply to?
✔ Residency Application, Interviewing and the Match
Who have you requested letters of recommendation from?
Would you like for your advisor to review your personal statement? Have you had other people review your personal statement?
How prepared do you feel to interview? What questions do you have about the interview process?
What have you done to budget or ensure you have the financial resources for interview travel?
What programs have you interviewed for so far? How have you liked them?
How many programs do you plan to rank?
✔ Preparing for residency application
How familiar are you with the MATCH process and timeline?
Have you requested letters of recommendation from faculty?
What is your parallel plan if you fail to match into your preferred program or specialty?