MS1 Class Information – Oct. 19, 2023

Learn more about the Commitment to Patient Safety and Personal Accountability Certificate of Recognition

Students are eligible for an award in the third year of medical school in recognition of meeting all compliance requirements by the initial assigned due dates.

In the profession of medicine, compliance requirements will continue to be a reality with hospital privileging committees, specialty boards, and state accrediting bodies – despite the many challenges and competing priorities that you will face in your day-to-day practices.

“All the requirements you are asked to complete are ultimately for the benefit of patient safety. Completing these requirements in a timely fashion speaks volumes to residency programs that are looking for this level of professionalism in their applicants,” said Gabriel E. Sarah, M.D., associate dean for Student Affairs. “We think you should be recognized and want to provide award documentation of your early commitment to this responsibility as a member of the medical profession.

Here are more details about the Commitment to Patient Safety and Personal Accountability Certificate of Recognition:

What you receive: A letter and a certificate signed by Suzanne Allen, M.D., M.P.H., vice dean for Academic, Rural and Regional Affairs.

When you receive the letter and certificate: In July of the MS3 year, in time to be included in your CV for residency applications.

Why we do this: UWSOM wants to nurture and reward habits resulting in timely completion of compliance requirements and draw attention to your exemplary level of personal responsibility and commitment to patient safety.

How to be compliant: You will get e-mail notifications from the UWSOM compliance office asking you to complete requirements by a certain due date. If you can’t complete the task immediately, add it to your calendar with a reminder tocomplete it by the due date. You will get two reminders from the compliance office asking you to complete the item. UWSOM must be notified by the deadline by the appropriate individual or agency that the requirement has been completed.

“Remember that this award serves as a powerful indication to your future employers of your professionalism and accountability but more importantly, you can feel that you are doing the right thing in upholding your commitment to patient safety. We would like to see 100% of the class receive the award,” Dr. Sarah said.

Questions? Email Dr. Sarah or Laura Ellis.


“Tip of the Month” from the Career Advising Student Advisory Board

We hope you’re adjusting well to medical school! You’ve now heard about our school’s summer Independent Investigative Inquiry (III) requirement.

Research not your jam? No worries! Lots of specialties don’t need it. Rural Underserved Opportunities Program (RUOP), Scholarship of Integration (SOI) or another community experience can be very useful to your career goals.

If you’re interested in a competitive specialty, such as dermatology, it can be helpful if your project is within this field — but it is OK if your research is in another field. This happens a lot. Many residency programs look positively on research projects even if they are not in the specialty you end up applying into as the project shows dedication and can build valuable skills.

See the advice from the specialty career advisors in the first two sections of the UWSOM Specialty Guides by specialty on “Advice for MS1s/MS2s Exploring This Specialty,” “Extracurriculars” and “Scale of Importance for Medical School Activities.”

Undecided on your specialty? This is super common; don’t worry! You can start exploring specialties with interest group events and the Career Advising Video Library.

  • Reviewed by Career Advising Student Advisory BIPOC board member L’Oreal Kennedy. Originally written by BIPOC alum Shanelle Briggs.

In case you missed it, here is a link to the previous newsletter for MS1s.

Have a wonderful week!