Specialty Talks

Optional Career Advising & Specialty Choice Session

When:  Thursday, February 7, 2008 
Where:  BSC 4th floor (room TBA)
Time:  12:15-12:45pm

Dr. Molly Osborne and Anita Taylor will be meeting the 3rd year class to talk about Career advising & specialty choices.  CVs, Letters of Recommendation will be discussed.  In addition, all 3rd year students are encouraged to set up a personal meeting with Dr. Osborne sometime between October - December 2007 to discuss your career plans as well as the importance of the timing of applications, electives and interviews from July through Jan 2007-08. If you haven’t settled on a specialty, all the more important to meet!

2007-08 Specialty Talks Elective

Purpose: To assist MS1 and MS2 medical students in learning about different medical specialties.
Overview: 11 one-hour sessions at noon on Tuesdays from October to March
Requirements for 1 Elective Credit:  Attendance at 8 of the 13 sessions AND submit the following to the Course Director, Anita Taylor:

• Orientation Questionnaire Session Questionnaire for 8 of the 13 sessions
• Write-up of two Informational Interviews
• Careers in Medicine website self-assessment profile (Medical Specialty Preference Inventory summary) Final Evaluation form

For further information on Specialty Talks, please see the "Student Advising" section (page 9) of the 2006-07 Student Advising & Career Development Manual.

Advisors

Faculty Advisor Program

Every first year student will be assigned a Faculty or Community Physician Advisor based on the student’s initial specialty interests. The advisor’s role is to be a source of support and information about his or her life as a physician and, specifically, about his or her specialty.

The expectation is that the advisors and students will meet at the Meet Your Advisor session in the first week of classes.

 The students and advisors are expected to communicate either in person or via e-mail at least once each semester (three times during the year). Advisors are expected to initiate these meetings and, if the students don’t respond, the advisor will notify the Dean of Student Affairs.

A first year student may be assigned to a MedNet group attended by his or her advisor, but the priority is to have the second year Big Sib with the first year Little Sib in the MedNet groups.

»  First-Year Medical Student Faculty Advisors (pdf)

»  Residency Advisors by Specialty  (pdf)

 

Peer Advising

MedNet

2006-07 Dates:
Monday, September 24, 2007
Monday, February 4, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008

Time:  12 Noon – 1:00 p.m. (lunch will be available in the CROET/Basic Sciences building atrium)

Place:  Rooms assigned in the Basic Science Building and Old Library

What is MedNet?
MedNet is a program which integrates students from all four years medical school classes into groups consisting of 12-16 students, with three to four students from each class. This approach encourages communication among students throughout the four year curriculum and provides the students with continuity and consistency regarding the process of becoming a physician.

What is the purpose of MedNet?
There are two purposes of MedNet: 1.To discuss issues related to the professional development of a physician. 2. To discuss issues pertinent to each class and have students share their experiences. An example is that third year students can assist second year students with tips for studying for the USMLE, the fourth year students can help the third year students understand their role as a clerkship student, how to deal with difficult patient situations, communicating with colleagues, etc.

What is the role of the Student Leaders?
Each group will have a 4th year and a 3rd year Student Leader to assure leadership in the discussion. The 4th year will have the primary responsibility of reminding the members of the group of the meeting date and time, the topical focus of each meeting, and submitting a write-up of the meeting to the Program Director. The 4th year will facilitate the group discussion. The 3rd year Student Leader will be available to serve in this role in the absence of the 4th year Student Leader and will be expected to take on the 4th year’s role in the following year. What is the role of the Faculty Advisor? Each group will have a Faculty Advisor who will serve as a resource in discussion of professionalism. The Faculty Advisors will have 3-4 first year students in their group who are their personal advisees and they are expected to communicate separately once each semester with them.

Meeting Format and Requirements
All three MedNet meetings are required for first and second year students. For the September 25th meeting, third and fourth years are expected to make an effort to attend. If they must be absent, a written excuse needs to be submitted to the 4th year Student Leader for their absence. E-mail is acceptable for the written excuse. In February and April, attendance is required for all third year students and MedNet will be part of their Continuity Curriculum weeks’ schedule. Fourth years who cannot attend must submit a written excuse to the 4th Year Student Leader. Again, e-mail excuses will be acceptable. Those who are absent will be required to submit a brief written statement concerning the professionalism theme of the session. An unexcused absence or written work not submitted will result in required contact with the Associate Dean of Student Affairs.

For questions regarding the program contact: Anita D. Taylor, M.A. ED., Director of Career Advising, Dean’s Office, L102 503- 494-6618, taylora@ohsu.edu

Strolling Through the Match

When:  Monday, April 21, 2008
Where:  BSC 4th floor (room TBA)
Time:  5:00-7:30pm

Tentative Agenda:
5:00-5:30PM:  Match Timeline, Residency Applications, CV, Personal Statements, and Letters of Recommendation & 10 Ways Not to Match! (Dr. Molly Osborne and Anita Taylor)
5:30-6:30PM: Student Panel – MS IV Facilitator: Anita Taylor
6:30-7:30PM: Dinner with Faculty Specialty Advisors

Applying to Residency

»  Outline for a Curriculum Vitae

»   Sample Curriculum Vitae

»  Worksheet for Personal Statement

»  Interview Question Examples

»  MSPE (Dean's Letter)

»   Charting Outcomes in the Match (primarily for MS3s, 70 pages)

»   Roadmap to Residency (primarily for MS3s, 42 pages)

 

Letters of Recommendation

»  Letters of Recommendation

»   Tips on Composing a Letter of Recommendation

»   Outline of Letter of Recommendation from Department Faculty or Volunteer Community Physician

Dean's Tips

Class of 2009
» Dean's Tip - USMLE Step 1 (April 2007)

Class of 2008
» Dean's Tip (July 2007)
» Dean's Tip - Interviewing (April 2007)
» Dean's Tip (February 2007)
» Dean's Tip (January 2007)
» Dean's Tip (October 2006)

Careers in Medicine

Careers in Medicine is a career planning program through the AAMC designed to help you choose a medical specialty and select and apply to a residency program. The program will guide you through the elements of career planning, including self-understanding, exploring a variety of medical careers, and finally choosing a specialty to meet your career objectives.

The program includes a password-protected Website, printed student manuals, school-sponsored workshops, and advisors. In order to access the program, students must have an access code and register on the site; if you do not already have an access code, please contact Marcia DeCaro in the Office of Education and Student Affairs, decaro@ohsu.edu, 503-494-4101.

Specialty Resources

»  How to Choose a Medical Specialty, by Anita Taylor