Career Advisors and Mentors

Early Career Advisors

Effective mentoring is a key element for student success in medical school and increases the likelihood of eventual career satisfaction. In the context of medical education, effective mentoring has been found to help with:

• Professional identity formation
• Professionalism development
• Research participation & productivity
• Career planning 
• Overall well-being

Early Career Advisors are assigned for students in the preclinical years (known as Foundations of Medicine years). Early Career Advisors (ECAs) meet with their advisees twice per academic year (or more) to discuss the student’s career goals, possible specialty interests, guidance for research or clinical programs for summer between first and second year and overall well-being.

Clinical Advisory Deans

At the start of the Core Clerkship Year, students are assigned to one of 14 clinical advisory deans to be their primary career advisor over the next 16 months or so. Students have the option to submit preferences for their advisor assignment.

Students and their advisors meet to discuss career plans, from third year through Match Day. Advisors address several essential issues such as: career guidance, planning the senior course schedule, writing a personal statement; drafting a CV; and preparing for residency interviews. The Clinical Advisory Dean has access to his/her advisees’ transcripts to help assess their candidacy for residency. The Clinical Advisory Deans (CADs) help prepare the "Medical Student Performance Evaluation" (MSPE).

Students’ Clinical Advisory Deans do not necessarily have to be a doc in the specialty they are applying to. These deans have general knowledge about all specialties. Should students be assigned to a CAD who is not in their specialty, they may wish to be matched with a departmental advisor for specialty specific guidance.

Since the Clinical Advisory Dean will be preparing and signing the MSPE, it would be a conflict of interest for that faculty member to also write a residency letter of recommendation for his advisee. If a student anticipates one of the CADs will write a letter of recommendation for them in support of their residency application, the student should not rank that CAD when submitting preferences.

Clinical Advisory Deans - (PDF)

Departmental Specialty Advisors

These faculty members offer guidance specific to their specialty and provide recommendations on how best to enhance the prospects for matching in the chosen field. (A student’s Clinical Advisory Dean may also be his/her specialty advisor). Recommendations may include which electives to pursue, which away rotations to apply for (if relevant), and which programs to target for residency application. In addition to the specific Specialty Advisors, clinical course directors and residency program directors are also available to meet with students who are exploring a specialty interest or who are preparing a residency application for that specialty. 

Ms. Dawn Froome, Director of Career Services, dawn.froome@downstate.edu can match, and put you in touch with, a specialty advisor upon request.