Advising and Career Development

The Office of Advising and Career Development’s primary goal is to support students in developing academic and professional skills and experiences that lead to successful academic progress, specialty selection, and residency match in a manner that supports their health and wellbeing. To fulfill this goal, advising staff meet with students individually and offer a variety of workshops and class meetings regarding the curriculum, academic progress, and career development.

• Students are assigned an advisor upon matriculation with whom they work throughout their HMSOM career.
• Students are required to meet with their advisor quarterly each year. Advisors also have weekly drop-in office hours and are available for additional meetings as needed.
• The cornerstone of the Advising and Career Development program is the Individualized Learning Plan (ILP). This document is customized for each stage of the curriculum, but consistently prompts students to reflect upon their academic and career progress, specialty thoughts, Phase 3 Plans, and wellness; and create and track goals for advancing in these areas.
• A Career Development Workshop series is offered in accordance with the AAMC’s Careers in Medicine model.
• Students work very closely with their advisors during their third year to develop a customized Phase 3 Plan that supports their personal and career goals.
• Advisors provide detailed instruction and support for the national residency application process and HMSOM’s Phase 3 Residency, including developing a successful application strategy, using ERAS, interview support, and the NRMP.
• Advising works closely with the Phase 3 team to create a Phase 3 Plan and review/approval process that best supports student’s advising and career success needs.

Advising and Career Development also oversees or works with the following programs:

• Specialty Mentoring:
  • Assigns students to a specialty faculty mentor no later than midway through Phase 2
  • Creates and delivers faculty development to mentors
• Specialty Observation Experiences: works with Clinical Skills and staff at HMH network locations to make experiences available during Phase 1 beginning in the late fall and ensure necessary and clear communication between HMSOM and the network locations regarding attendance and compliance.
• Specialty Interest Group (SIG) Liaison: offers additional support to SIG leaders, beyond the SIG faculty advisor, for content development and procedural guidance.
• Phase 1 and 2 Extracurricular Research: oversees the process of approval, documentation, and follow-up in conjunction with the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.
• Peer Mentoring: participates in training and supervision, and assists with the application and selection process.

Office of Student Affairs and Wellbeing
123 Metro Boulevard, Office 4