Medical Specialty Talks Elective

Bringing the AAMC’s Careers in Medicine Resources to the

Students

Anita D. Taylor, M.A. Ed.Assistant Dean for Student Development

Director, Career Advising

Medical Specialty Talks Elective

Goal: Find a way to expose first and second year medical students to the wide variety of specialty choices.

Solution: A series of lunchtime panel discussions presenting information on specialties.

Reality: A student initiated and run elective started in 2005-2006.

Medical Specialty Talks Elective

Assistant Dean Anita Taylor, 2nd year OSR rep, student leaders from interest groups.

Continuity: OSR rep. acts as student director for course. IG leadership passed from 2nd

to 1st years; sustainability.

Filling the seats: Everyone welcome, 1 elective credit offered if requirements fulfilled.

Methods

The ideal panel:

– An academic, a community doctor, a resident, and a 4th

year medical student.

Format

– Introduction of the panel

– Some standardized questions

– Open question and answer

Methods Examples of topics addressed

– What is a typical day like? – What is the length of the residency? – What is the median salary? – What are the benefits of the specialty? – What are the drawbacks? – What medical school courses help most

with your specialty? – What attracted you to the specialty? – What are the general characteristics of

an applicant to the specialty? – How competitive to get in to the

specialty? – How important is research in your

specialty? – Is there a role for CAM in the specialty? – How difficult is it to have a child and

do that specialty?– What are the fellowships available in

the specialty?

Requirements for Credit

Designed to help students think objectively about the various specialties, think critically about themselves and their values, and provide the coordinators of the elective with feedback so that the project may be improved in subsequent years.

Requirements:– Attendance at minimum # of the clinical sessions – 9 out of 12

– Attendance at Alumni sponsored evening session – Specialty

Speed Dating

– Session Questionnaire

– Two Informational Interviews

– Self-Assessment Profiles on CIM Website (AKA Medical Specialty Preference Inventory Summary), Indecision Scale and Physician Values in Practice Scale

– Final Evaluation Form

Past Schedules

2005-2006 School Year

11/04/05 Introduction Session, Careers in Medicine Website

11/15/05 Emergency Medicine11/01/05 General Pediatrics11/29/05 General Internal Medicine12/06/05 Otolaryngology12/13/05 Psychiatry01/03/06 General Surgery01/17/06 Family Medicine01/31/06 Anesthesia02/14/06 Neurology02/28/06 Obstetrics and Gynecology03/06/06 Pediatric Subspecialties:

Derm, Cards, and Onc04/04/06 Surgical Subspecialties:

Plastics, Colorectal04/18/06 Internal Medicine

Subspecialties: Onc, Cards, ID

04/25/06 Radiology

2006-2007 School Year

09/12/06 Introduction, Careers in Medicine Website Review

10/10/06 Otolaryngology10/17/06 Emergency Medicine11/14/06 General Surgery11/28/06 General Pediatrics12/05/06 General Internal Medicine01/30/07 Neurology02/13/07 Family Medicine02/27/07 Anesthesia03/06/07 Obstetrics & Gynecology03/20/07 Psychiatry04/03/07 Radiology04/17/07 Radiation Oncology04/25/07 Neurosurgery

2007-2008 School Year

09/11/07 Introduction, Careers in Medicine Website Review

09/25/07 General Surgery10/09/07 Obstetrics/Gynecology10/23/07 Radiation Oncology11/06/07 Otolaryngology11/20/07 Emergency Medicine12/04/07 General Internal Medicine01/08/08 Neurology01/22/08 Neurosurgery01/29/08 General PediatricsTBA Radiology02/26/08 Family Medicine03/04/08 Psychiatry03/11/08 Urology03/18/08 Anesthesia

Past Schedules2008-2009 School

Year

09/16 Pediatrics09/23 Orthopedic

Surgery09/30 Emergency

Medicine10/14 Oncology/

Hematology10/21 Obstetrics &

Gynecology10/28 Otolaryngology 11/4 Geriatrics &

Palliative Care11/18 Urology11/25 Neurosurgery12/2 Family

Medicine1/6 Anesthesiology1/20 General

Surgery1/27 General

Internal Medicine2/10 Ophthalmology

2010-2011 School Year

September 15:Orthopedics

September 23:Psychiatry

September 30:General Internal Medicine

October 7:Obstetrics/Gynecology

October 14: Global Health/ Inf.Diseases

October 21:Emergency Medicine

October 28 Anesthesiology

November 4:Pathology

November 11:Radiology

November 18:Pediatrics

December 2:General Surgery

December 9:Family Medicine

January 13:Oncology (surgical, radiation)

January 20:Internal Med, subspecialties

January 27:Surgical subspecialties

2009-2010 School Year

09/10 Orthopedic Surgery09/17 Family Medicine09/24 Radiology10/1 General Pediatrics10/08 Obstetrics & Gynecology10/15 General Internal Medicine10/22 Global Health/Inf Diseases10/29 Psychiatry11/5 General Surgery11/12 Pathology11/19 Anesthesia12/03 Emergency Medicine12/10 Neurology & Neurosurger

20011-12 Schedule

September 8: How to Choose A SpecialtySeptember 15: General SurgerySeptember 22: Emergency MedicineSeptember 29: Orthopedics/Sports Med. PM & ROctober 6: Family MedicineOctober 13: PathologyOctober 20: Obstetrics/GynecologyOctober 27: General Internal MedicineNovember 3: Anesthesiology/Critical CareNovember 10: RadiologyNovember 17: Internal Med, subspecialtiesDecember 1: PediatricsDecember 8: Surgical subspecialties

Challenges

More specialties than time for sessions

Subspecialties or Generalist topics only?

– Criteria used: Is there an existing IG? Is it a specialty you enter into directly from med school?

Finding the speakers for an “ideal” panel

Feedback from 2005-2011 School Years

How would you rate the elective overall?from 4.3 - 4.6

What was the most helpful part of the elective for you? – “Exposure to specialties I wouldn’t have otherwise

heard about” – “Information about CIM website” – “Contact opportunities with faculty” – “Consistency” – “This is a huge improvement from last year when

meetings were always competing for the students time”

Feedback from 2005-2011 School Years

What would you change about the elective?– “More community physicians and residents” – “Be specific about what to cover” – “Start on time” – “Give a handout at each session listing the top 20 things done in

the specialty”

Should the elective be offered again?– Yes=234

Would you have attended if credit were not offered?– Yes=56 No=29 Only some = 104

Should other meetings be blocked from meeting at the same time as they were this year?– Yes=109 No= 76 Maybe = 1 No Opinion= 3

Evolution

2005-2006

Completion= 31

No handouts

Fewer “ideal” panels

2006-2007

Enrollment= 72

59 completed elective

Fewer sessions, more specific

Some handouts

More community, women, and minority speakers

Re-invite excellent panelists

2007-2008

Enrollment = 68

49 completed elective

More time for Q & A

Have more specialties represented

Schedule earlier in the year

More community physicians on panels

Goals for the Future Handouts: salary, common procedures, practice environments, avg

scores, etc. Achieve panel ideal: include a community physician, an academic

physician, a resident, a student- all sexes represented, include minorities

Cover spectrum of specialty choice Incorporate feedback from participants and interest group leaders Increase enrollment even further

Benefits of Program Increase awareness and utilization of CIM

website resources

– www.aamc.org/students/cim

Provide a venue for residency directors to get in contact with students earlier

– Especially if no interest group

Provide a venue for Alumni Association to get involved with students

– Develop a list of alums interested in speaking

Benefits of Program

Educate students about specialty choice in candid and comprehensive manner

Encourage students to find mentors by informational interviewing

Development of a comprehensive list of faculty and community physicians interested in supporting students

Basics of the Elective

Register with Marcia DeCaro in the Dean’s office – decaro@ohsu.edu

Go to AAMC Careers in Medicine website to complete questionnaires, www.aamc.org/cim

One elective credit if requirements completed