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Choosing a Specialty

Do you have a Mentor?
A mentor is an individual you trust to help you make decisions about your medical education and eventual career. It is the job of a mentor to open your eyes to opportunities you may have otherwise overlooked, steer you clear of pitfalls and guide you on your path to a career in medicine. Finding a mentor is difficult and can only be accomplished by you, but it is likely you already have one in your Foundations of Patient Care small group leaders, your PLACE preceptors or your Family Network advisors. You can also look to alumni who teach or practice in the specialty you are interested in, as they can often speak freely about their decisions and how those decisions have affected their own career goals.

To find a mentor, start talking with other students doing clinical rotations and identify the best clinical teachers on staff. Once you identify these individuals, speak with ones you feel would be a good match for you and narrow this list down until you find a suitable mentor who is interested in working with you. Avoid individuals who cannot see beyond their own field. If you find your mentor wears blinders regarding other fields or specialties, find another individual.

Once you have a mentor, visit often, but be sure to always schedule your time with him or her. Most importantly, you must be clear about what you want from them advice.

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House Officers and Chief Residents as Resources 
House officers and chief residents can accurately comment on their recent decision-making process, as well as the pros and cons of residency training requirements and employment opportunities.

Alumni who teach or practice in the specialty you are interested in can often speak freely about their decisions and how they have affected their career goals.

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Career Advisors 
The School of Medicine maintains a comprehensive list of career advisors in many medical specialties. For most specialties there are two different kinds of advisors. The first type is a Confidential Career Advisor. The confidential advisor does not participate in the resident selection process at UCSF. You should feel free to speak with them about your suitability for a specialty without fear that your indecision about a career in that specialty will hurt your chances of matching.

A career advisor directly involved in residency selection is best utilized once you are ready to explore a particular specialty in detail. These advisors are well informed about the resident selection process at UCSF and other programs.

A career advisor can give you specifics on residency training requirements, and particular programs. The faculty that conducted the Specialty Mini-meetings during March and April are available to you as advisors. They can guide you through the process of applying. Advisors know where to apply, who to get letters from, how many letters to get, how to apply and how to put together your Rank Order List for the Match.

They should review your personal statement. If you dont enlist their help in your residency application process, you could make long-lasting mistakes. Be sure to take full advantage of their knowledge and willingness to assist you.

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Torn Between Two Loves: 
What to do when you can't make up your mind

Its summer and you have not been able to narrow your choice of a specialty to one. All of your classmates are hopping around with glee over their choices and this does not help your situation. RELAX! Our experience, from talking with students, is that at least 20% of your classmates are in the same predicament. There are several things you can do to help make the right decision.

Use the flexibility of your final year to further explore specialty areas that interest you. You may get a very different perspective on a specialty when experienced through an elective or subinternship.

Another thing you should do is use FREIDA Online to explore the Physician Workforce information reported by residents and practicing physicians about their employment seeking experiences, professional job status, and work environment. Also check out the Specialty Statistics, which contains data on length of training, residents on duty, faculty on staff, resident work hours, work environment, and compensation. As you learn more about the requirements and demands of particular specialties, you may find yourself more excited by one specialty than another.

A third exercise for narrowing your choice is to write a personal statement for each of the specialties you are considering. You will likely find that one of the personal statements flows out of the pen easily, while it will be difficult for you to articulate your interest in others.

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UCSF Residency Resources

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Other Residency Program Resources 

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Updated: January 16, 2008
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