In this issue:
- EQI Survey
- HCOP program Ambassador Recruitment 2025-2026
- 2027 Graduates: Time to Schedule your 4th Year Career Planning Appointment with Your Dedicated Career Advisor
- Career Advising Tip of the Month
EQI Survey
This week, UWSOM is conducting a short 15-minute survey to measure improvements on initiatives identified from last year’s ISA survey. Your feedback directly shapes the medical student experience and is used in the LCME accreditation process.
Your cohort’s current response rate is 24%. We need your help to reach our 80% goal by Friday!
How to Find the Survey Link
- Check your inbox for an email from eqi@uw.edu (reminder sent today)
- Subject: 2025 UWSOM Independent Student Analysis (ISA) Follow-Up Survey Invitation
- Survey closes Friday, October 17
Don’t miss your chance to win! There will be a $500 grand prize across all cohorts. See below for the incentive breakdown (per cohort)
| Campus | # of Gift Cards ($10) | # of Gift Cards ($50) |
| Seattle | 2 | 4 |
| Spokane | 1 | 3 |
| Wyoming | 1 | 2 |
| Alaska | 1 | 2 |
| Montana | 1 | 2 |
| Idaho | 2 | 2 |
*According to the UW policy, student employees (e.g., tutors, research assistants, hourly workers, etc. cannot receive a gift card. If you win the raffle as a student employee, we will send alternative items of the same value from Amazon.
This survey is anonymous, and responses are reported only in aggregate.
Questions? Contact eqi@uw.edu.
Thank you for taking your time to complete the survey and help strengthen our program.
HCOP program Ambassador Recruitment 2025-2026
Program Overview
Team-based, interdisciplinary approach to prepare health profession students working in rural and medically underserved communities.
Eligibility
Open to students with ~ two years of their health professional program remaining
Requirements
- Mentor a pre-health student
- Self-paced Canvas modules on rural health and underserved populations. Graded on completion, not academic credit.
- Final Presentation (e.g., an existing program presentation, Triple I poster, RUOP presentation, community education presentation)
- Complete 80 clinical hours (your clinical rotations will qualify)
Stipend
Receive a $1,000 stipend.
Priority deadline to apply is October 26th. Applications submitted by this date will receive priority review. After October 26th, applications will still be accepted on a rolling basis.
2027 Graduates: Time to Schedule your 4th Year Career Planning Appointment with Your Dedicated Career Advisor
If you have not yet done so, please schedule your 4th Year Career Planning Appointment (select this appointment type in CAS when you click the hyperlink) anytime between October and December 2025. Please have patience, as not all of you will be able to meet with me in October – there are over 300 of you and just three of us!
If you have quick immediate questions, please attend Career Advising’s Office Hours via Zoom, M-W, 12-1pm PT.
Before your meeting, please set aside 1.5-2 hours to read through the following content and complete the outlined prep steps. Think of this as a mini learning module that will set you up for success in your E&F career planning and your residency application. We are here to support you with this process and answer your questions.
Required Steps to Complete Prior to Your 4th Year Career Planning Appointment:
Read ALL of the content on:
- Career Planning for 4th Year Guide webpage
- Specialty Guides “Clinical Phase Planning” content for the specialties you are considering for residency
- Download and complete a draft of your Clinical Phase Planning Worksheet
- Upload your Planning Worksheet to your appointment in CAS. Your advisor will review the document with you. Appointments cannot be modified within 24 hours, so email your career advisor the worksheet if it is within 24 hours of your meeting.
If you have experienced any of the following challenges, please schedule your 4th Year Career Planning appointment in October or early November:
- Finishing your Patient Care Phase 6-12 weeks after the standard end time (end of March 2026)
- Foundations course fail(s)
- Step 1 or Step 2CK fail. Low Step 1 or Step 2CK score. Have not taken Step 1 yet.
- Clerkship exam fail or clerkship fail
- 2 or more Passes in Patient Care Phase
- Pass in a specialty of interest
- Expansion (non-research related) or leave of absence
If you want to look further ahead, visit the Residency Application Timeline and Residency Application Components on the Applying to Residency page.
Your preparation for your 4th-year career planning appointment will make effective use of your time. This process will start to feel less overwhelming as you step it out. We are here to help you and answer all your questions!
Career Advising Student Advisory Board: Road to Residency Tip of the Month
This advice is for all students and includes first-generation and BIPOC student lenses.
While planning for your last year of medical school is exciting, scheduling your Explore and Focus rotations takes much preparation and planning. Prior to starting, you’ll need to review Career Advising’s 4th year planning webpage. Need help after that? Meet with Career Advising
and talk with upper classmates who have been in your shoes. Remember to book the “4th Year Career Planning Appointment” in CAS. Set aside plenty of time for the prep steps and fill out your Clinical Phase Planning Worksheet before you meet.
Don’t stress too much about your schedule right now. You’ve got time to move things around up to six weeks before the start date of that particular clerkship—and honestly, everyone ends up tweaking their schedule as they figure out their interests and when they’ll need breaks or more time to study for Step 2, etc.
- Reviewed by MS4 Cara Chapman. Originally written by alum Shanelle Briggs, MD.
We welcome tips and ideas from all students. Please reach out to Career Advising at medadv@uw.edu.
This link takes you to past information for MS3s.