Careers in Medicine: Decide

Decide – Year 3

Once you’ve spent time exploring many different specialties, it’s time to narrow it down to a few that you’re most interested in. Selecting a specialty is one of the hardest decisions you’ll make in medical school, but Careers in Medicine is here to walk with you every step of the way.

Career Advising

Throughout the decision process, your portfolio coach and faculty adviser will be continually available to answer your questions and help you locate additional resources. The personal relationship you’ve built together over the past few years positions them perfectly to offer you personalized advice and perspective.

What was your best day in clinical rotation? What work environment suits you best? Do you prefer chatting with patients or consulting with colleagues?

Your advisers will help you translate the answers to these questions and more into the specialty that’s right for you.

Careers in Medicine Electives

Whether you want to revisit a rotation you’ve already completed, try something new to complement previous rotations, or explore a setting you might not see again, the CiM electives are a great resource in your decision-making process!

These two- and four-week electives give you the chance to explore multiple specialties at once. You’ll choose a few clinical rotations you want to visit, spending a few days or a whole week at each one. During the course of the elective, you’ll meet with the Associate Dean for Medical Student Affairs to reflect on your experience and discuss the specialties that interest you most.

Personal Assessments

Assessments from the Association of American Medical Colleges offer another wonderful resource in your decision. Based on data from physicians across the country, these assessments reveal which specialties match up with your unique personality, aptitudes, and values.