Careers in Medicine Program (CiMs)

Careers in Medicine is a career planning program designed to help the medical student his/her future medical career and select and apply to a residency program. This four-phase process will guide the medical student through the elements of career planning, including self-understanding, exploring a variety of medical careers, and finally choosing a specialty to meet their career objectives. People whose choice of careers matches their values, skills and interests tend to be more satisfied and successful in their working lives.

While some students begin medical school knowing what career path they will pursue, many students change their mind several times. For still others this decision seems far off. Careers in Medicine (CiMs) offer the medical student a structured program designed to help think systematically about the available options.

As you work through the CiM program, the student will gain the tools to make an informed decision, based on guided self-reflection and the information they gather about the many career options available.

CiM uses a four-phase career development model:

• Self-Assessment
  You'll ask yourself the important questions: "Who am I?" "What do I like to do?" "What's really important in my work and life?" The goal of this phase is to achieve a greater understanding of yourself and to address the question: "What do I want to do in my medical career?"
• Career Exploration
  You'll explore the variety of specialties as well as the other career options available to you in the field of medicine. As you meet and talk with physicians in various specialties, you'll begin to learn about what physicians do in these areas, gaining a real-world perspective on their specialties.
• Decision-Making
  Once you've collected enough information on all of the possibilities, you will then compare what you have learned about yourself in the first phase with the information you've gathered about the specialties and other medical career options you're considering. CiM will then help you select a specialty you will pursue during residency.
• Implementation
  In this phase, CiM will guide you through applying for and being accepted into a residency program. You'll find valuable information and tips about the residency application process (especially ERAS^®), interviewing, and the Match, along with things to consider in completing medical school and beginning residency.

Careers in Medicine is a circular program. As the student completes different aspects of the program and are exposed to different educational experiences, they are encourage to reassess their goals using any and all of the tools available in the program.

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