Career Guidance & The Match
Navigating the career development process while being a full time medical student can be challenging. Each journey is unique. This toolkit is a roadmap for support and resources.
Philosophy: The University of Minnesota Medical School provides a comprehensive and customizable approach towards medical student career exploration and support across all four years and three campuses.
Vision: Students will have sufficient information and resources to make key career decisions, be able to make informed choices, and be successful in the Match.
Discern & Choose Your Specialty(ies)
- Embrace the clinical rotation variety and note personal learnings
- Narrow your interests; find your people
- Develop departmental relationships, ask for recommendations
Land a Residency
- Take action: research programs, apply, interview, rank, match
- Stay on track with Residency Guide and monthly ResApp newsletters
Overview of the Career Development Process and Resources
AMA Career Planning Resource
A guide and tools from the American Medical Association for learning about specialties, choosing a specialty and applying
Specialties Page
A page devoted to information and resources to learn more about each specialty
Specialty Experts
Contact info for Specialty Experts in each specialty available as a resource
Contact
Career Development and Residency Match Coordinators
[email protected]
Questions?
Have a question or can't find what you are looking for? Visit the AskMedEd page.
- Self exploration: values, interests, general career goals
- Student Affairs co-curricular course sessions
- Faculty advisor conversations
- Opportunities for further exploration (informational interviews, research, enrichment, shadowing)
- Network and create CV
- Explore specialties
- Join Student Interest Group
- Research specialties, view profiles and spotlights, and compare
- Connect with alumni and mentoring network in interest areas (informational interviews)
- Faculty Advisor and Academic Advisor conversations (clerkship phase transition planning to discuss elective courses, scheduling, clerkship/ LIC selection, career goals)
- After passing STEP 1, celebrate by investing in your personal wellbeing
- Embrace the clinical rotation variety and note personal learnings (evaluation template)
- Narrow your specialty interests; find your people (UMN specialty pages, CiM Specialty Profiles)
- Develop departmental relationships, ask for letters of recommendation
- Engage with Student Affairs and Faculty Advising Days and Residency Launchpad
- Review Very Short Guide to residency application and match process
- Use the tools and faculty and academic advisors to develop elective plan, application prep and assess competitiveness (Specialty Specific Transition Designs, ERAS Statistics, specialty specific residency application information)
- Connect with Department-Specific Specialty Experts and residency directors as part of your specialty discernment and application planning process
- Review Residency Match Guide and attend live Launchpad
- Read Residency Information Exchange Newsletters for timely process steps and resources
- Connect with mentors/advisors over strategy, assessing competitiveness and program interest
- Draft list of programs and make note of individual requirements (Residency Explorer, FREIDA)
- Review MSPE with your Faculty Advisor and create your personal statement (workshop in August)
- Submit your application and register for the match
- Practice interviewing - Big Interview Medical tool (UMN login credentials)
- Submit rank list and match (SOAP support if needed)
- Communicate directly with your residency program regarding completion of background check, hiring paperwork, moving, etc.