Career Advising

The MD Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison has an Office of Career Advising that offers medical students information about residency and career advising.

The Office of Career Advising provides specialty, residency and career information for students from matriculation to graduation. It also serves as the information hub for career education and specialty information for prospective students, faculty, staff and alumni.

For all students, the career advising office and Academic and Career Advising Program (ACAP) offers support on four major career decision-making tasks:

Self-Assessment

• Clarification of personal interests, abilities and values relating to potential specialties
• Exploration of preferred work environment and practice characteristics

Exploring Options

• Information gathering regarding career options including specialties and subspecialties, academic medicine, public health and other medical careers
• Advising and counseling for career-related evaluation of clinical experiences
• Information regarding summer experiences: clinical, research, volunteer, etc.
• Referrals to clinical faculty in area(s) of interest

Choosing a Specialty

• Selecting a specialty or non-residency continuing medical education (MPH, PhD, etc.)
• Evaluating specific residency training programs
• Advising and support for career decision making

Getting into Residency

• Descriptive and comparative residency match data, for both national and UW applicants
• Preparing a curriculum vitae, personal statement, and application materials
• Developing interviewing skills, including mock interviews
• Using residency application services and navigating the match process

There are four major initiatives to support students with these tasks:

• First, there is a comprehensive specialty and career education program throughout medical school, especially during the third and fourth years, beginning at the Transitional Clerkship
• Second, the Careers in Medicine Web-based program contains resources, exercises and informational databases designed to help students navigate their career choices
• Third, Career Advising staff and the Dean for Students are available to meet one-on-one with students
• Fourth, and most important, ACAP faculty mentors provide longitudinal advising and support for career and academic decisions

ACAP mentors are also affiliated with the learning communities to provide students with another, broader set of faculty resources to contact with questions. These programs and associated resources are under continual development and improvement.