Career Services

Specialty choice is a big decision and requires careful research and planning. Career planning is a four-step process that should include the following areas:

1.  Self assessment means of getting to know yourself. That includes understanding what you are interested in and what you are good at, thinking about your career and desired lifestyle, and understanding influences and educational experiences that have led you to a career in medicine.

2.  Exploring your options requires knowing the content and nature of each specialty, and which ones appeal to you most.

3.  Making a decision about specialty choice will occur usually sometime during third year or early fourth year

4.  During fourth year, the focus will shift to The Match and getting into a residency program.

Careers in Medicine

A website that will assist you in this career planning process:  https://services.aamc.org/careersinmedicine/

Other websites:

FREIDA Online
A database with over 8,700 graduate medical education programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, as well as over 200 combined specialty programs. You can search by specialty, state or region, and other important factors to learn more about the residency programs:  https://freida.ama-assn.org/Freida/user/viewProgramSearch.do

Personality Test
If you are interested in taking the MBTI Personality Assessment, please contact the Office of Student Life: 303-724-6407

Current students can requests additional experiences by submitting an official request to the Office of Student Life. 

Learn More

The AAMC Careers in Medicine Specialty Pages contain information about 127 specialties and subspecialties including nature of the work, personal characteristics, training and residency information, match results, workforce statistics, compensation, related journals, and links to specialty organizations. They are a resource for researching specialties during the Exploring Options phase.

Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS ​) is a service that transmits applications, letters of recommendation (LoRs), Medical Student Performance Evaluations, medical school transcripts, USMLE transcripts, COMLEX transcripts, and other supporting credentials from applicants and their designated dean's office to program directors.

Your residency application is electronic; the applications all look similar in style and content, as the application is entered into ERAS ​ ​and the format is decided by the computer program.  The personal statement is your opportunity to show the program a little bit of your own personality.

Students often agonize over what to write, but in the end, the most effective personal statement is a well-written and grammatically correct statement which highlights your strengths.  It should reflect your career goals and reflect your personality and style.  It doesn't have to be unique or fancy, just an honest statement of

1. Why you are interested in the specialty
2. Why your interests, values, personality and skills are a good fit for the specialty
3. What kind of program would be a good fit for you
4. Your career plans in that specialty

A good personal statement is short enough to read easily, has no spelling or grammatical errors, provides a story or two that illustrate your interest in the specialty, and is interesting and unique to you.

Always have two or three people review your personal statement - people who know you well and can tell if it reflects your personality, as well as a mentor in the specialty who could comment on the content.

Tips for Writing a Personal Statement

Your curriculum vitae or resume gives you an opportunity to present the information on your background and achievements. It is helpful to ask family, friends or advisors to review this since it is easy to forget vital information. Your CV will be a work-in-progress; you will update it regularly for the rest of your career.  NEVER misrepresent your information/accomplishments in your CV.  For instance, if an article is not published, list it as “submitted” or “in progress”…

You need a CV:

• To give to the individuals who will write your letters of recommendation
• To send to programs where you want to do an externship or audition elective
• To send or fax to programs who do not use ERAS
• To assist you with the information you need to enter into ERAS, which will create a CV for you from your application. The categories are defined by ERAS and all will be presented regardless of whether you have anything in this category or not (i.e., if you have not done research, the ERAS application lists research followed by “none.”)

There is no “correct” format for a CV; choose one that is easy to read, and that is clean and uncluttered. It should clearly identify your qualifications.

There are suggested curriculum vitae formats in books listed under the resources section.

Style guidelines:

• Font 12 point.  Stick with one style font.  Use boldface to highlight important areas of your CV.  Use bullets sparingly
• Leave ample margins. Recommended: 1 inch top, bottom, and sides
• Always check for spelling and correct grammar
• No longer than two pages for residency, scholarship CV.  Can be longer once you have finished residency or if you have published a significant number of articles
• Be consistent in the way that you present examples
• Don’t include unnecessary information, like Social Security number, references, personal information, high school education or accomplishments
• Order - last is always first (most recent accomplishments, degrees, jobs, etc. should be listed first)
• Focus on verbs when describing accomplishments, jobs, duties, responsibilities
• Are dates the first thing you see?  They shouldn’t be. Most people are interested in what you have done and what your skills are.
• Keep your CV updated with new awards, accomplishments, jobs, etc.
• Style should be organized, neat and pleasing to the eye
• Get others to review your CV and offer suggestions, but in the end, it represents you, so you should like it
• Try to tailor information to the residency or program that you are applying to.  

Curriculum Vitae Draft Format

MDs may choose to pursue careers other than clinical medicine for a variety of personal and professional reasons, and they may do so at different times in their training or careers. Alternative paths might occur directly out of medical school, out of internship once a license is earned, after residency, or after years of practicing clinical medicine. At any of these stages a dual degree may be useful, including PhD, MBA, JD, MPH, MHA, etc. The career options for which an MD degree is beneficial are vast, so the career search is best tailored to each individual’s interests and goals. Specific job descriptions and salaries also vary by region and by education and experience of each individual. Therefore, this website is meant to provide a sampling of websites for interested medical students to learn about alternative options and begin exploring education and career paths tailored to his/her specific interests.

General Websites and Resources

www.biocareercenter.com A consortium of universities providing a career center dedicated to expanding professional options for life science PhDs and MDs. Includes links to self-assessment tests to further define a good fit for each individual, as well as links to information and articles about a variety of alternative fields. services.aamc.org/careersinmedicine Association of American Medical Colleges Careers in Medicine site includes a section on Alternatives to Traditional Clinical Practice under the Exploring Options tab that provides information about what the careers involve, useful strengths, preparation, and links to related sites. A token provided by the office of student affairs is required to access this site. www.mommd.com International association offering professional and personal support for women from premed to physician level. It includes educational information, career and family advice, job listings, discussion forums, medical news and articles all tailored to women in medicine. www.seak.com Organization in Cape Cod, MA that offers non-clinical career conferences and training for physicians. Also provides medical writing seminars and resources for expert witnesses and workers' compensation professionals. This is a for profit organization and we do not endorse their programs, but rather provide this resource as an example of the types of programs that are available. Balagot, M., Ingebretsen, M, and Fraker, S. Leaving the Bedside: The Search for a Non clinical Medical Career. American Medical Association, 1998. Book put out by the American Medical Association that provides a step-by-step approach to making a change in occupation, including aids for examining individual goals and steps to achieving those goals. It also includes extensive lists of a wide variety of career options.

General Health Care and Research 

www.explorehealthcareers.org Collaboration of national foundations, professional associations, health career advisors, and educational institutions that is useful as an encyclopedia of the array of health professions. It includes information about working conditions and preparation for each field. www.careers.md Educational resource providing descriptions of careers in a variety of areas of healthcare, including descriptions of training required, daily duties, and salary ranges. www.lrp.nih.gov/ National Institute of Health Loan Repayment Programs website offers information about the types of research and various degrees for which they offer loan repayment, as well as details of the application process. Karni, Karen. Opportunities in Clinical Laboratory Science Careers. McGraw-Hill; 2002. Book offering information about a variety of careers available in clinical labs. It includes training requirements, salary statistics, and professional and internet resources.

Public Health

www.aspph.org Association of Schools of Public Health website includes information about what public health is, what training involves, career opportunities, and links to other associations and resources. www.coloradosph.cuanschutz.edu/ Colorado School of Public Health website includes information about various degrees in public health, as well as research opportunities.

Health Administration 

www.aupha.org Association of University Programs in Health Administration website offers information on what health administration is, what kind of training it requires, career opportunities, and links to other associations and resources. business.ucdenver.edu/mba/health-administration-mba UC Denver MS in Health Administration provides information about the program, as well as links to the MBA in Health Administration program, and links to additional health administration association websites.

Medical Writing

www.amwa.org American Medical Writers Association provides educational resources for medical writers and editors who work in a variety of capacities through such organizations as hospitals, health science centers, nonprofit associations, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and news organizations. This website provides services that include educational programs, publications, job opportunities, and networking opportunities.

Business/Biotechnology/Pharmaceuticals

www.mdmbaprograms.org/ National association for MD/MBA students that provides information about the dual degree. It includes information about education, internship, and career opportunities, as well as serving as a place to network. MBA/MD degree Provides information about the MD/MBA program offered through UC Denver, including requirements, timing, and a link to the business school website for more details about the MBA program geared towards medical students. www.biotechinfo.com/us_biotech_companies.htm National database of biotechnology company profiles, including areas of interest, products, employees, and locations.

Alternate Residency Paths

MD’s interested in practicing clinical medicine might want to explore options for alternative residency paths, also for a variety of personal and professional reasons. Alternatives such as shared or part-time residencies are not generally advertised, but programs are often willing to work with individuals. Therefore the responsibility lies with the resident to research the requirements of the residency program and of the licensing board for the specialty and propose a plan that works for him/her as well as for the residency program. Robin Yasui, currently a part-time Internist in Geriatrics at Denver Health, is an example of a physician who has been through this process as a resident. She completed her internship year, took a one year leave of absence with her baby, and then worked with her residency program to design an individual plan that was part-time and largely outpatient that worked for her family and for the residency program. She has kindly offered her email as a contact for students who would like to speak with her in more detail about her experience and advice. ryasui@dhha.org

About the Author of this Resource

Roaxanne Baca compiled these resources as an independent project with the office of student affairs as a 4th year student. She did not pursue residency, but rather planned to work part-time utilizing her MD in some capacity so that she can spend more time as a mother. Roxanne completed this project to aid in her own career search, as well as to provide other students with some useful information that is not often readily available to medical students. Roxanne welcomes questions and would also appreciate input from anyone who has some knowledge about or experience in this area. Please email the Office of Student Affairs.