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Career Counseling

Updated

PURPOSE / SCOPE:

Provide the policy and timeline for presenting career counseling to ICOM student doctors.

DEFINITIONS:

  • CiM: Careers in Medicine
  • ERAS: Electronic Residency Application Service
  • MSPE: Medical Student Performance Evaluation
  • VSLO: Visiting Student Learning Opportunities

POLICY:

Guidance in career counseling occurs throughout all four years of the ICOM experience. In the OMS I year, student doctors are provided with a 4-year subscription to Careers in Medicine website and are able to access the formative assessments and information regarding specialties. During a Dean’s Hour in the Fall semester of the OMS I year, the CiM website is introduced to the student doctors. They are encouraged to browse the site, take the assessments, and discuss the results with their advisors. During a Dean’s Hour presentation, student doctors are introduced to the medical education continuum of undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, residency, practice and board certification.

In the OMS II year, discussion of career counseling focuses on boards preparation. During several Dean’s Hour presentations, student doctors are given an overview of the residency application process. In addition, student doctors are presented with the do’s and don’ts of writing their CV. ICOM’s learning specialists monitor a careerwriting@idahocom.org mailbox and provide review and editing suggestions. Faculty advisors remain available to their advisees. As student doctors participate in student clubs, they may attend sessions presented relevant to the specialty focus of that student club.

 At the beginning of the OMS III year, in the Clinical Preparations course, student doctors are guided through the process of obtaining Letters of Recommendation for inclusion in residency applications during the OMS IV year. During a Dean’s Hour in the OMS III year, student doctors are informed of the VSLO/audition rotation process. At the end of the OMS III year, student doctors are enrolled in a Residency Preparation course in which sessions are presented on Personal Statements, the ERAS application process, the available matches, specialty selection and application strategy, and interviewing for residencies. To facilitate student doctor practice for successful interviewing, ICOM has purchased and makes available the “Big Interview” online platform for student doctor use. Student doctors are required to complete assigned CiM assessments to better understand their ‘fit’ for their specialty of interest.

Early in the OMS IV year, student doctors are required to meet with their faculty advisor to discuss first-choice specialty, parallel plan, their review of resources like Residency Explorer to determine their competitiveness for their first-choice specialty, and identify two to three noteworthy characteristics for their MSPE. During the preparation of the MSPE, the Dean or Associate Deans who are writing the summary paragraph of the MSPE meet one more time with each student doctor to confirm career plans. Frequent communication via email and Webex occurs throughout the OMS IV year to answer student doctor questions and provide relevant information as the residency application and interview process occurs.

As student doctors seek information about a specific specialty, ICOM strives to connect the student doctor with a physician in that specialty who can provide insight into the details of that specialty. The ‘AACOM Career Planning Guide for DO Students’ is made available to the student doctors via a link on the ICOM website. Also available on the ICOM website at Idahocom.org/academics/career planning/ is an overview of relevant information shared by OMS year and topic, along with a section of FAQs. This is available to the student doctors across all four years.

 

PRIMARY POLICY OWNER:

Senior Associate Dean for Learner Outcomes and Assessment

 

APPROVAL:

Effective: 9/2/21

Last Reviewed: 5/6/23

Review Requirement: 5 Years

 

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