Medical career advising program named best in the country

Matching into a residency program is the culmination of med school. But how much time do medical students really have to pull together a standout residency application?

Amidst the flurry of exams, clinical rotations and research, it can be hard for med students to carve out a few minutes to learn about their residency application requirements, draft compelling language — and compile all the information they need to shine as applicants.   

To provide next-level support for students as they prepare for this process, the FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in 2022 launched a new career advising program called Road to Residency. It is already garnering national attention. The Association of American Medical Colleges named FIU’s program the best in medical career advising in the country, recognizing it with a Careers in Medicine Excellence Award in 2024.

“This is huge," says Dr. Andres L. Rodriguez '09, M.D. '15, assistant dean of student life and development at FIU Medicine. "Our team is passionate about supporting our students every step of the way. We have channeled that drive into creating an innovative and effective career advising program that ensures no student is left behind. We are being recognized as an exemplary model for other schools to emulate nationwide.”

FIU’s program utilizes a combination of self-reflection assignments, town halls, academic advising and one-on-one meetings as well as faculty and alumni mentorship to guide students as they prepare to launch their careers. It also regularly brings in doctors and residency interviewers to speak with medical students and share what they are looking for in residents.

It's all part of the strategy to make sure med students land their dream residencies.

“The residency application process can be challenging to navigate,” says Rodriguez. “We decided to revamp our career advising. Part of the innovation of our program is to create assignments in which students start their application since their first year of medical school and not the beginning of the fourth year.”

Even though the first class to go through the entire four-year program has not yet graduated, a group of students who piloted some of the new program’s offerings have already reaped the benefits. The Class of 2024 achieved a 100% residency placement, with 95% of students successfully placing in their chosen specialty via the initial round of the National Residency Matching Program.

Creating a career roadmap

Rodriguez and his team work closely with faculty and academic advisors to embed career-related, mandatory assignments into students’ coursework and co-curricular experiences.

“We’re really trying to make sure the students get the most out of their experience,” Rodriguez says. “Because medical students are so busy and have limited time, we wanted to be efficient and impactful... we really thought deeply about what activities would have the greatest impact on career development and would also not over-tax their time."

The assignments for the first two years focus on career exploration and self-discovery. Students write self-assessments that help them decide on their specialty and reflect on their experiences, goals and education.

It may sound simple, but thinking through these things is a critical first step for med students as they choose a specialty. Each student’s residency application must be tailored to meet the needs of their medical specialty, Rodriguez explains.

“The earlier we can help students decide on their specialty, the more we’re going to put them at an advantage to get into that specialty,” he says. “They have a better road map in their mind of what they need to do to get there.”

Landing the residency

During students’ last two years, the career program focuses heavily on residency applications.

The program introduced a mandatory two-credit course for fourth-year med students. The course acts as a one-stop shop for all things career related: students complete their personal statements and gain feedback from professors, draft their CVs and get tips on how to ask for letters of recommendation.

“The class is really helpful,” says Roshni Bisoondial, who took the course last year. “It gets you to do a raw first draft of your personal statement. Your first draft is always terrible. And there’s always a fear of failure. It’s really nice to get it out of the way. It gets everything rolling after that.”

She also appreciated the chance to ask questions related to the residency process and general career development. Even after the course, Bisoondial would reach out with questions to Rodriguez and Dr. Sarah E. Stumbar, interim associate dean for student affairs at FIU Medicine.

“I would say, ‘This is something I’m wondering about, what are your thoughts?' It’s nice to have them as a sounding board. The professors are a great source of knowledge and also very approachable. They’re really good at helping you see the big picture.”

Bisoondial has already conducted her residency interviews and consistently received feedback praising the strength of her personal statement. She will graduate this semester and match with a residency program in family medicine this March.

Zachary Blashinsky, who will also graduate this semester, has matched early into the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps. This summer, he will begin his dream residency program in orthopedic surgery at the Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu.

“Orthopedic surgery is one of the most competitive fields in medicine,” Blashinsky says. “My advisors knew about that and made sure I was on the right path.”

He adds, “The career advising at FIU is very personalized to each student. They helped each of us develop our application and our goals. Most medical students match into a residency program in March. The Army has a separate match system. So, the timeline was a little different for me and my residency application was very different. All of my advisors went out of their way to help me.” 

He adds that the career advising team, his professors and mentors, including orthopedic surgeons at Baptist Health (where he completed his clinical rotations) were all instrumental in helping him prepare for his career. “I’m eternally grateful to all of them.”

He plans to give back by serving his country and helping heal people’s injuries.