Med 8999: Advanced Career Planning

MED 8999 Course Description
 The goal of this course is to provide unmatched learners with the opportunity to remain active in clinical and research activities in an effort to further develop skills, experience, and knowledge in specific areas to make their CaRMS application for the next year more competitive. The course will be offered from May/June to August and will consist of clinical electives, a research/scholarly project, and mandatory career advising sessions structured to be beneficial to the individual. Completion grades for both components would be submitted during the end of August (coincident with the standard spring semester deadline). This course will have no associated credit hours and will not impact completion of the M.D. program requirements or participation in convocation.

Clinical electives will be strategically selected in consultation with the UGME office and the Office of Learner Well-Being and Success in a way that is felt to improve the likelihood of success in the CaRMS Match in the following year. Learners will be encouraged to select electives that will diversify their application and help them to be competitive in alternate specialties that they may have not considered in the failed match year. 

The research component should reflect the learners’ new career path and is intended to complement clinical electives and improve the strength of the application. Given the relatively short time available prior to submission of CaRMS applications in the subsequent fall, this will most often consist of a literature review or a case report. The Learner Well-Being and Success office will assist the learner in identifying an appropriate research mentor. 
 
Course Eligibility Requirements 
All learners accepted to MED 8999 Advanced Career Planning must meet the following requirements:
1. Have met all Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) requirements for the current academic year.
2. Have graduated from the Memorial University of Newfoundland M.D. program. 
3. Have participated in all mandatory curriculum offered through the MedCAREERs Program.
4. Applied to and ranked at least two (2) different specialty programs and at least eight (8) programs in the first iteration of CaRMS.
5. Remain unmatched after the first and second iterations of the CaRMS match AND provide evidence of using best efforts to match to a residency position during the second iteration of the CaRMS match in the year of application. This will require disclosure of CaRMS rank lists for the 1st and 2nd iteration.

*Learners are only permitted to complete MED 8999 once.
 
Application Process

Learners are eligible to apply for MED 8999 following publication of the CaRMS second iteration results, which typically occurs in April. Learners are only eligible to apply within the academic year during which they successfully complete Phase 4 of the M.D. program.

The applicant will meet with the Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) Associate Dean and Associate Dean of Learner Well-Being and Success, immediately following the 2nd iteration of the CaRMS match to begin identifying specific clinical and research/scholarly based experiences that would assist them in matching in the following year’s CaRMS match. 

After this meeting, the learner will submit an application including a statement of reflective thought about the factors leading to an unsuccessful match and strategies on how to be successful in the subsequent match. The learner must be able to demonstrate participation in the first and second iterations of the CaRMS match in good faith and participation in the career advising program activities as outlined in the MedCAREERS webpage.

Applications must be received within fourteen (14) days of the second iteration of CaRMS results. 

Applications for the course will be reviewed by a committee consisting of the:

• Associate Dean, UGME
• Associate Dean, Learner Well-Being and Success
• MedCAREERS Director
• Electives Coordinator

The committee will provide a letter to all applicants regarding a decision via email.
 
Course Duration

Clinical electives:    May/June – August (4 to 12 weeks)
Research/Scholarly work:   May/June – August (12 weeks)
Mandatory career advising sessions: May/June – August (12 weeks)

Mandatory career advising sessions structured to be beneficial to the individual include:
• Elective planning
• Interview skills
• Curriculum Vitae preparation
• Referee selection
• CaRMS ranking strategy
• Personal letter writing strategies. 

These career advising sessions will be offered through the Learner Well-Being and Success office, led by the MedCAREERS Director.
 
 
Course Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion MED 8999, the individual should be able to:
• Design and articulate a clear, realistic career path
• Reflect on their decision making process with respect to their career path (i.e. fill in gaps within their experiences) 
• Develop a competitive CaRMS application
• Verbalize their skills, education and experience in a personal/professional interview
• Provide evidence of successful participation in clinical and research/scholarly experiences that are aligned with career goals
 
Method of Evaluation
Clinical electives will be evaluated in the same manner as per Phase 4 clerkship electives:
During Electives, learners are expected to:
• Prepare specific objectives in advance of the rotation and discuss with the preceptor upon arrival
• Attend the orientation session (if applicable) for each elective
• Attend regularly scheduled departmental rounds and clinical responsibilities in a timely fashion
• Actively seek good learning opportunities, be keen and pleasant
• Be familiar with the UGME guidelines outlined in the Handbook
• Ensure Summative ITARs are completed by the preceptor before the end of the Elective
• Agree or disagree with evaluations of their performance using One45
 
Research/Scholarly work will be evaluated by the assigned research mentor as “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” based on academic content, use of scientific format and professional presentation/documentation. 

Other mandatory sessions will be evaluated as “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” based on attendance and participation. At the end of the 12 week period, a final grade of PAS or FAL will be awarded and will appear on the learner's transcript. If a learner receives a final grad of FAL in the course, they will still be eligible to enter into the CaRMS match in September.