The University of Toledo

Medical Student Career Advising Teams

Career decision making can be stressful. Recognizing this, the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) at The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences (UTCOM) has launched a re-engineered Peer Mentoring Group initiative. Career Advising Teams are organized around students’ medical career specialty interests in order to help make the process of exploring, deciding about, and preparing for a medical specialty less isolating and more informed. While teams are organized by specialty interests, students within Teams need not be certain of their specialty choice to participate.

Advising is the act of sharing opinions, offering advice and imparting information. In the Career Advising Teams, faculty advisors will serve as resources about career specialties for medical students. They will share their expertise and experience as well as offer suggestions for additional mentoring and advising resources. Fellow students will also serve as a resource, sharing experiences and offering insights with each other.

Teams are what will make this effort a success. Of course, teamwork is how healthcare in the real world operates. Teamwork in career advising allows for increased collegiality and collaboration. The larger medical student body at UTCOM has been broken down into smaller groups of students (about 20 in each Team) across all levels of medical school. All students have been assigned to a Team, and everyone is strongly encouraged to actively participate. Peer facilitators within each Team will be responsible for coordinating activities and resources, as well as serving as liaisons between students and faculty advisors and between Teams and the Office of Student Affairs.

Designed to involve every student enrolled in MD programs at UTCOM (MD, dual degree, fellows), Career Advising Teams will be one part of the larger OSA advising mission and will Optimize and enhance the advising system for medical students that provides comprehensive, holistic, and longitudinal academic, personal and professional support.  The path to becoming a medical school Graduate who is well-prepared for the next steps of career training requires processing information, navigating transitions and making decisions. Success in traveling this path within a community of medical professionals-in-training is the ultimate aim of the Career Advising Teams

 

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2012-2013 Career Advising Team News

Fall CATs:DOGS Mixer A Career Advising & Networking Event for Medical Students, Peer Facilitators, Clinical Faculty Advisors, Residency Program Directors, and Chief Residents Tuesday, December 4, 2012 5:15pm-7:00pm MULFORD LIBRARY, MULFORD GARDEN CAFÉ, & BRYAN STUDENT LOUNGE (You and your Career Advising Team [CAT] will be assigned to one of these 3 locations) This is a opportunity for all participants in the Career Advising Team program to get to know your team members and to hear about some career specialty decision making resources/exercises and some important trends in the various career specialties.

Spring CATs:DOGS Event--"Countdown to Your Match Day" *NEW* Video of presentation Thursday, March 21, 2013 6:30pm-8:30pm Collier 1000A&B Regardless of where you are in medical school--M1, M2, or M3--you should start now to plan for your residency application and match process. OSA and members of UTCOM Class of 2013 will share information and insights to help launch your Match!

Want to change Career Advising Teams? Please complete this form. While CATs are specialty-specific, you are encouraged to change Teams as your specialty interests change. You may also use this same form to indicate your interest in applying to be a Peer Facilitator.

*Coming Soon* Peer Facilitator Application for current M1s, M2s and M3s

*Coming Soon* Prospective Peer Facilitator training and Careers in Medicine Workshop

*Coming Soon* Faculty/Physician Advisor Resources Please drop the OSA a line if you are interested in getting an access token for the AAMC's Careers in Medicine reources.

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