Career advising in family medicine: a theoretical framework for structuring the medical student/faculty advisor interview

• Main Authors: Melissa Bradner, Steven H. Crossman, Allison A. Vanderbilt, Judy Gary, Paul Munson
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2013-08-01
• Series: Medical Education Online
• Subjects: career choice specialties; medical decision-making education; medical education; undergraduate medical education
• Online Access: http://www.med-ed-online.net/index.php/meo/article/download/21173/pdf_1

Background: There are unique challenges to recruiting students into the specialty of family medicine within academic medical centers. Methods: At Virginia Commonwealth University, we developed an advising framework to help students address institutional and personal obstacles to choosing family medicine as a career. Results: The role of a faculty advisor is not to direct the student to a career choice but rather to foster a mentor relationship and help the student come to his or her own realizations regarding career choice. The faculty advisor/medical student interview is conceptualized as five discussion topics: self-knowledge, perception, organizational voice, cognitive dissonance, and anticipatory counseling. Conclusion: This framework is intended to assist faculty in their efforts to encourage students to consider a career in family medicine.