0TIMELINE FOR CAREER GUIDANCE
YEAR
STEPS
Year 1
Understanding
Yourself
MSUCOM Student Services Career Guidance
TIMELINE FOR SUCCESS
 Succeed at coursework
 Attend New Student and Fall Orientations
 Seek out an advisor or mentor
 Attend career guidance activities such as the Specialty Spotlight Series, DME Expo, as well as other programs
provided by the college such as lunch with Associate Dean, Administration hours, etc.
 Attend MOA DME event in Spring 2015
 Succeed at coursework
 Begin gathering basic information about specialties of interest through the MSUCOM website, Careers in Medicine
Year 2
(CiM), electives, etc.
 Attend Specialty Spotlight Series Luncheons, Specialty Exploration Events (SEE), and other informational group
activities designed to help with specialty and career choices (Lunch with Assoc Dean & Administration hours)
Exploring
Options
 Begin participating in shadowing experiences to learn more about specialties of interest.
 Plan extracurricular activities and research that will not interfere with course work.
 Compare self-assessment information to the information gathered about specialties. Discuss any questions or
concerns with a Career Guidance Advisor
Year 3
Choosing a
Specialty
 Conduct informational interviews and/or participate in Preceptorships
 If appropriate request special consideration for base hospital assignment.
 Attend required Clerkship and Base Hospital Selection Meetings
 Take and pass COMLEX Step 1 (and USMLE if you elect) (see more information)
 Begin touring Base Hospitals
 Begin clinical rotations and request clinical letters of recommendation
 Research desirable qualifications and competitiveness for different specialties – begin thinking more seriously
about your specialty choices
 Contact associations and specialty organizations to learn more about specialties of interest
 Attend ERAS informational meetings in Spring 2016 (TBA)
 Schedule COMLEX Level 2 (and USMLE if you elect) (see more information)
 Meet with your advisor to discuss your top choices, especially if you're having difficulty narrowing down your
options, or you are unsure of your competitiveness.
Getting into
Residency
NOTE:
know your
deadlines!
Year 4
Matching
 Begin working on your curriculum vitae (CV) and Personal Statement and have a Career Guidance advisor, mentor
or faculty review. A high quality CV can take 8-10 hours, so start early. Information from your CV can be used in
the ERAS application, and should be provided to those writing letters of recommendation.
 Begin scheduling “audition” rotations at programs you are most interested in matching with – ideal time is usually
th
August through December of your 4 year. AOA program interviews are earlier than NRMP so check each program
for due dates. Be comfortable asking what is expected of you, what are the attending’s expectations and check in
on a regular basis to see if there is anything you need to improve. Be certain to let the program director know if
you are interested in their program. Send a thank you after the rotation. Make yourself memorable. Do not be shy!
Make yourself known! Find a trusted Senior Resident to mentor you.
 Take advantage of the opportunity to participate in clinical enrichment experiences outside of your rotations.
 If applicable, register for early Match programs – summer before 4th year
 Determine and schedule your ideal timeframe for taking COMLEX CE and PE. Dates book up quickly!
 Take COMLEX Step 2 – must take and pass before most programs will rank or interview you since competition has
become so intense. If you don’t do well on COMLEX part I, a high score on COMLEX CE is even more important.
 Research available residency (DO and MD) positions and programs at:
http://opportunities.osteopathic.org/index.htm or http://www.nrmp.org/residency/main-residency-match/
 Register with ERAS https://www.aamc.org/students/medstudents/eras/ and begin submitting residency
applications (CV, personal statements, etc.). Pay close attention to deadlines. (View presentation by MSUCOM)
 Register for Match with AOA (early June) at http://www.natmatch.com/aoairp/ and/or NRMP (Late August) at:
http://www.nrmp.org/ and http://www.nrmp.org/residency/main-residency-match/
 Rate preferences using the official Rank Order List http://www.natmatch.com/aoairp/applprepare.html
 If applicable, know early match deadlines https://www.sfmatch.org/or www.militaryGME.org
 MSPE (i.e. Dean’s Letter) released October 1
 Interview with residency programs (Aug – Nov of 4th year) – good idea to try to schedule rotations with most
desirable programs during this time (“audition” rotations). Send follow-up correspondence to appropriate
individuals
 AOA Rank-order your selections in the AOA (Deadline January 22, 2016) AOA MATCH DAY – FEBRUARY 8, 2016
 ACGME Rank-order your selections for the ACGME match if you are participating in it. ROL due date, February 24,
2016; Match day – March 18, 2016
POST MATCH INFORMATION
 AOA SCRAMBLE – HTTPS://WWW.NATMATCH.COM/AOAIRP/ABOUTOVERVIEW.HTML (scroll to bottom) and
http://cf.osteopathic.org/aoapostmatch/index.cfm it’s up to you to continually monitor this site.
 ACGME SOAP (Supplemental Offer & Acceptance Prog)
HTTP://WWW.NRMP.ORG/FAQ-QUESTIONS/I-AM-SOAP-ELIGIBLE-HOW-DO-I-APPLY-TO-OR-CONTACT-PROGRAMS-ABOUT-UNFILLEDPOSITIONS-DURING-SOAP/
 Dr. Doane’s GME Primer PPT Presentation – packed with information:
Updated 7_1_15