MS2 Class Information – March 7, 2024

ICYMI: Explore specialties though this AAMC webinar

The AAMC Virtual Specialty Forum, hosted by its Careers in Medicine (CiM) program, is Thursday, March 28, 2024. The three-hour session starts at 9 a.m. AK, 10 a.m. PT, 11 a.m. MT.

For: First- and second-year medical students early in their specialty exploration.

Cost: Free!

Participating specialties: Allergy and immunology, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, family medicine, general surgery, hematology, hospice and palliative medicine, infectious disease, internal medicine, internal medicine-pediatrics, medical genetics, neurological surgery, neurology, neuro-ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, otolaryngology, pathology, pediatrics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, preventive medicine, psychiatry, radiology and urology.

Event description: This annual event works to provide equitable access to specialty exposure, where medical students can view resources, chat with residents, specialty representatives, and AAMC staff and attend a live presentation and Q&A with physicians about their specialty choice.

Information and recordings will be offered to students unable to attend during the scheduled time. Register now for this great opportunity to learn about specialties.


ICYMI: Road to Residency short video series: Specialty Exploration and Residency Planning in Patient Care Phase Clerkships

In preparation for the start of clerkships, your career advisors have developed a short 3-part video series. This series begins to lay out the Road to Residency through the Patient Care Phase. It is important for MS2s to watch these videos prior to starting their first clerkship in order to:

  • Lay the groundwork for the Road to Residency
  • Understand the specialty exploration approach, key planning strategies and timelines

All three videos are found in the Early Career Planning Career Advising Media Site Library:

  • Video 1: Evaluating Specialty Fit and Understanding Applicant Characteristics (14 minutes)
  • Video 2: Career Planning Timeline & Career Advising Support Team (7 minutes)
  • Video 3: Planning for Your Elective Block (4 minutes)

If you have questions about your elective block after watching the video please come to Career Advising’s Office Hours via Zoom. Offices hours are Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 11 a.m. AK, noon PT, 1 p.m. MT. There won’t be office hours during the week of March 11 due to Match and SOAP.


ICYMI: Self-nominations sought for AAMC Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarships

The AAMC is soliciting nominations for its annual Herbert W. Nickens Medical Student Scholarship. Five scholarships are given to outstanding students entering their third year of medical school who have shown leadership in efforts to eliminate inequities in medical education and health care.

Nominees should have demonstrated leadership initiative in addressing educational, societal, and healthcare needs of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. Each recipient receives a $5,000 scholarship and must accept the award at Learn Serve Lead 2024: The AAMC Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia (travel and registration costs covered by the AAMC).

A medical school may nominate one student per year for this award. A candidate must be:

  • A U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or an individual granted deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) status
  • Entering the third year of study at UWSOM in Fall 2024 and has maintained good academic standing throughout the first two years. Students enrolled in combined degree programs (such as M.D./Ph.D.) are eligible when they are entering their third year of medical school

To help UWSOM identify and select our designated nominee, UWSOM encourages all interested medical students who meet the above criteria to submit a self-nomination packet for consideration using the online form. The packet contains several items which must be uploaded including a letter of interest, letter of recommendation from a UWSOM faculty member, CV and personal statement. Please read the submission form instructions carefully to ensure eligibility and full consideration. You will need to be logged into your Microsoft account with your UW credentials to access the submission form.

The deadline to submit your self-nomination packet is 10:59 p.m. AK/11:59 p.m. PT on March 15, 2024, and 12:59 a.m. MT on March 16. The Student Affairs team encourages interested students to start now as obtaining the letter of recommendation and preparing the other letters will take time.

If you have any questions about this award, contact Erik D. Malmberg, Ph.D., J.D., assistant dean for equity and medical student engagement in the Office of Student Affairs.


Radiology oncology opportunity

From time to time, we share opportunities outside of UW Medicine: The American Society for Radiation Oncology is sponsoring a Q&A at 4 p.m. AK, 5 p.m. PT, 6 p.m. MT on Tuesday, March 12. Learn more on their website about the ASTRO Medical Student Q&A.


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

Editor’s note: We expect a new Tip of the Month next week.

We hope Step 1 Dedicated is going well. We won’t overwhelm you with any career advising tasks but pay attention to which topics you’re enjoying reviewing. This might be a helpful clue as to which specialty you will enjoy one day. Keep up the great work!

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

In case you missed it, here is a link to the previous newsletter for MS2s.

Have a wonderful week!