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Career and Professional Development Services for MD Students

The Office of Student Affairs assists with career development, professional development and residency preparation spanning all four years of medical school for MD students at Penn State College of Medicine.

All Penn State College of Medicine career development, professional development, and residency preparation resources can be found in the Year 1 Events and Resources, Phase II Event and Resources, and Phase III Events and Resources Canvas courses for each class.

All questions regarding career services and advising should be directed to the Office of Student Affairs at studentaffairs@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.

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Resources and Programs

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Resources and Programs

Faculty Advisors Expand answer

Penn State College of Medicine’s Faculty Advisor program is designed to provide a structured framework for advising our medical students throughout medical school. Advising provides students with academic counseling, career advising, professionalism and wellness support. The program strives to provide a supportive, reflective, learner-centered environment for the personal and professional development of each individual student, enriching the foundation towards a successful transition into graduate medical training and beyond.

Each student is assigned a faculty advisor who is responsible for supporting students longitudinally during their journey in medical school. Advisors meet with students at least once per semester and focus on a variety of topics. Topics covered include:

  • Academic Counseling
  • Career Advising
  • Professional Identity Formation
  • Well-being support
  • Individual Coaching

Faculty advisors

MD students can contact the Office of Student Affairs, studentaffairs@pennstatehealth.psu.edu for any questions related to their faculty advisor assignment.

Specialty Advising Expand answer

Students have access to more than 30 Specialty Advisors at Penn State College of Medicine. Each Specialty Advisor serves as an additional resource to support students once they have identified a specialty of interest. Specialty advisors provide students with:

  • Individual career consultations
  • Connecting students with speciality specific research and shadowing opportunities
  • Reviewing and assessing competitiveness for the speciality
  • Guiding and reviewing research year applications and away rotation applications
  • Assisting with preparation and review of residency applications, including CVs, and personal statements

MD students can contact the  Office of Student Affairs at studentaffairs@pennstatehealth.psu.edu  for the contact information of our specialty advisors.

Careers in Medicine Expand answer

All students are actively encouraged to explore their career options by utilizing the AAMC’s Careers in Medicine (CiM) program. During each phase in their journey, MD students can complete the CiM self assessments.

  • Medical Specialty Preference Inventory (MSPI)
  • Physician Values in Practice Scale (PVIPS)
  • Physician Skills Inventory (PSI)
  • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Keirsey Temperament Score (MBTI / KTS)
  • Specialty Indecision Scale (SIS)

Additionally, a student-led Careers in Medicine team provides MD students with a peer-to-peer supportive network to help guide medical students during their medical career journey. The team hosts a variety of webinars, workshops and events such as:

  • CiM Residency Career Fair
  • Getting Through Interview Season – Panel with Intern/Residents
  • 4th Year Rotations & Away Rotations – Student Panel
  • Scheduling Clerkships – Virtual Student Panel
  • What to Do for MS1 Summer Panel
Student Leadership Contacts Expand answer

If you have questions, please contact CiM at cim@pennstatehealth.psu.edu or the student leadership team below:

Career Development and Residency Preparation Expand answer

When it comes to residency preparation, Student Affairs is highly involved in supporting medical students from the day of their matriculation through residency applications through graduation. The office aims to walk medical students through the process of identifying a career of interest, identifying career goals, researching residency programs, applying to the programs, working with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), San Francisco Match (SFMatch) and the Military Match.

Student Affairs offers webinars on:

  • Early career interests and competitive specialty preparation
  • CV creation and maintenance
  • Early personal statement preparation
  • MSPE and Noteworthy Characteristics
  • Introduction to ERAS Residency Application with Skills, Values, and Characteristics
  • CV for ERAS Application
  • Residency Application Preparatory Session & Letters of Recommendation
  • Personal Statement Development Workshop
  • Couples Match
  • Application Tips- ERAS Experiences
  • ERAS Application Submission Q and A
  • Residency Interview Preparation Webinar
  • Residency Program Evaluations
  • NRMP Rank Order Lists & SOAP for Concerned Applicants

The Office of Student Affairs provides group and 1:1 support and guidance on individual CV, personal statements and ERAS experience reviews. They also assist in scheduling residency practice interviews for all interested fourth year medical students. All documents and resources related to residency applications can be found in the Phase III Events and Resources canvas course.

Questions related to ERAS, ResidencyCas and Central Application can be directed to studentaffairs@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.

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