Alumni Pathways Program Allows Students to Learn About Specialties
Choosing a specialty as a medical student is a difficult decision and to help with the process, the Alumni Association launched a program in May 2022 aimed at connecting students with alumni.
The idea, which complements the extensive career development program run through the Student Affairs Office (SAO), is to connect alumni with students creating an informal network from which students can learn.
As a longitudinal core educator and advisor of medical students, Assistant Dean of Alumni Affairs Heather Miselis, MD’00 ’04, SPH’00, found students asking her for ways to connect with alumni across medical specialties. The Alumni Pathways program was created to provide invaluable information for the students and a way for alumni to remain connected to the school. The program highlights the eagerness of students wanting to speak with seasoned alumni in clinical practice. The conversations have been meaningful, providing students with valuable insight and alumni with the satisfaction of sharing their expertise while mentoring future alumni.
The alumni program continues the work of the SAO advising programs, career exploration workshops and panels, and shadowing and speaker events across all four years of medical school and provides firsthand information about medical specialties allowing students to learn about a variety of potential specializations. Each in-person or virtual meeting focuses on one medical specialty or practice area with several alumni in attendance.
So far, the program has introduced alumni working in ophthalmology, pathology, women in medicine, neurosurgery, plastic surgery and physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R).
Frederic Meyer, MD’81, the Juanita Kious Waugh Executive Dean of Education of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, dean of the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine and chair of neurosurgery at the Mayo Clinic, attended an April 12 event speaking with students about the process of transitioning into a career from medical school and working in neurosurgery.
The program aims to showcase a variety of medical specialties, from the mainstream to the obscure. According to PM&R resident Benjamin Petrie, MD’20, fields like PM&R tend to be lesser known to medical students as an option for their medical careers. PM&R, also known as physiatry, is a medical specialty that works directly with restoring mobility and function after a person has experienced disability from disease, disorder or injury.
Petrie initially approached physiatry as a patient recovering from a medical crisis as a third year, igniting his interest in the field. “I found out I had a large tumor compressing my cervical spinal cord and it was getting worse. I had to take a leave of absence and went through rehabilitation and interfaced with PM&R physicians,” said Petrie, “I kind of approached it from the patient perspective.”
On Feb. 26, Petrie spoke to students about his experience, “It was a really good talking with students, hearing their excitement for PM&R and getting a sense for what questions they had about the field.”
During the first half of 2024, nine alumni participated in the initiative. They felt strongly that creating the space for these conversations was integral for medical students exploring areas of specialization.
After speaking with students, Linda Li, MD’93, reiterated that, “career conversations are incredibly important to students. Being able to speak with physicians who practice in the field that they are interested in allows them to have better insight… to make an informed decision about their future and their career path.”
Li’s speaking with the students proved fruitful as two students pursued a continued conversation about her career afterward. “Because I’m unsure of what field I want to go into, I try to take the approach of being a data gatherer – talking to as many folks as I can and seeing what piques my interest,” said Macie Gettings, a third-year student who reached out to Dr. Li, “[Li] was able to offer great insight into what a career in plastics could look like later on down the line and it was very helpful in shaping my interest in Plastic Surgery.”
“Moving forward, we aim to strengthen alumni-student connections through quarterly conversations,” said Miselis. “These sessions will provide alumni a platform to share their personal experiences, sources of inspiration and career and residency advice, helping students thrive as they navigate the challenges of medical school and maintain a sense of perspective and purpose in their career journey.” Learn more and volunteer to participate in a pathway conversation.