Careers In Medicine

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Careers In Medicine

• The Vigilant Decision Making Process
• Phase II

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CiM Four Year Timeline
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Today, were going to . . .

• Review your efforts in Self Assessment
• Begin the process of Career Exploration

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Did you do your homework?

• Visit the Careers in Medicine website?
• www.aamc.org/careersinmedicine
• www.aamc.org/students/cim
• Did you get to know yourself by completing the
  self-assessment sections on the site?

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Objectives

• Todays session will provide you with
• A process that will help you in selecting your
  specialty
• Resources to help you make an informed decision

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Gathering Information

• Now that you know what you want in life and in
  medicine, its time to find what specialty will
  fit your needs
• Go to the Specialty Profiles in the CiM website
• This is a great place to start exploring your
  many choices.

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CiM Specialty Profiles

• Nature of the Work
• Personality Characteristics
• Residency Requirements
• Match Data
• Workforce Statistics
• Compensation

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Specialty Profiles

• Take your top 5 Critical Factors that you
  determined during your Self-Assessment and
  compare them in detail to the factors described
  in one of the profiles on the CiM website.

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Critical Factors Checklist

• Autonomy
• Caring for Patients
• Continuity of Care
• Diversity
• Focus of Expertise
• Innovative thinking
• Intellectual Content
• Interacting with other Physicians
• Manual/Mechanical Activities

• Pressure
• Responsibility
• Security
• Sense of Accomplishment
• Status among Colleagues
• Patient Characteristics
• Types of Illnesses

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Disclaimer

• If you seem not to match a specialty in which you
  were really interested, dont despair
• Remember that the information in the profiles is
  merely a screening device.
• You should do more research on your own on the
  specialty of your choice.
• It maybe that there is something else about the
  specialty that is important to you but that you
  havent identified. Restart the process and
  think carefully.
• Dont be inflexible dont try to fit a square
  peg into a round hole.

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Example

• You really like peds but you also like procedures
  as well.
• The specialty profile shows that procedures are
  very low in peds
• But this profile doesnt take into account
  neonatology, Peds cardiology, Peds ER and Peds GI
  which all are very high in procedures.

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Expand

• Dont just evaluate one profile - do the same
  exercise with other similar profiles.
• You may learn that you are a closer match to
  similar specialty than the one you first
  considered.
• Also, make comparisons in specialties you never
  considered you may be surprised.

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Other Online Resources

• AMA-Freida- AMAs Fellowship and Residency
  Electronic Interactive Database Access
• Provides statistical information about each
  specialty, information about GME programs, and
  institutional offerings by specialty and
  geographic location.

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Getting More Information

• Clerkships
• Complete the Pre- and Post Clerkship Forms
• Electives

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Experiential Activities

• Attend workshops on different specialties, in the
  form of individual presentations, specialty
  interest groups, or panel programs.
• Career Day
• Alumni Panel Discussion
• Strolling Through the Match
• Student AMA Lunches
• Other resources - local medical societies, your
  school's alumni organization, and other first and
  second year medical school clinical activities-
  Master Clinician Program.

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CiM Four Year Timeline
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Specialty Associations

• Join the academies at reduced student rates
• Visit specialty Web Sites AAP, AAOS, etc.

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Personal Contact

• Clerkships
• Informational Interviews
• Summer Experience
• Faculty
• Private Practitioners
• Residents
• Friends
• Be aware of the variable reliability of each
  source
• There are many misconceptions out there!

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Surveying the Alternatives

• Canvas and wide range of alternatives
• Be open to new alternatives
• Gather information from many sources

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Summary for Evaluating Alternatives

• Test your facts and reactions by talking to
  others
• Follow up actively with potential role models
• Take ownership of the process

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Try it on

• Discuss your ideas with others
• Just like trying on clothes

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Pause

• Do not announce your decision prematurely
• It could make it more difficult to change your
  mind later for fear of seeming indecisive

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Intuition

• Gather opinions from others and consider their
  needs, but its your decision, your career
• Contemplate all the fact in stillness
• Consult your heart/gut

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Inoculate yourself

• After youve made your decision, review the
  negatives
• This will inoculate you against overreaction and
  criticism to your decision
• It will help you during negative experiences
  during residency

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Consider Alternatives

• In case you dont match
• In case the army has other plans
• In case family obligations force changes

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Commitment

• This all takes time
• Make a calendar to specifically set aside time to
  perform this important task
• Anticipate barriers to getting this done
• Exams, work, sleep, study, life, etc.

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Resources to help with the process

• CiM website
• Faculty
• Any of the clerkship directors
• Student affairs office
• Master Clinicians
• Faculty Mentors