As the COVID-19 virus swept across our nation earlier this year, the Association for American Medical Colleges swiftly released policy changes for the 2020-2021 residency interview process, which would greatly impact students' experiences when applying to residency programs. The AAMC recommended all residency programs conduct their interviews virtually, eliminating the need for students to travel, and as a result, potentially increasing the number of applicants for a given program.
For the last several years, the Office of Development and Alumni Relations has teamed up with the Office of Student and Career Services to co-host a MIV Residency Interview Preparation Workshop and Etiquette Dinner, where local Prisma Health program directors and SOM alumni help answer questions and conduct mock interviews over a meal. Because of the changes mentioned above, this annual event morphed into a virtual workshop where career service professionals from the law school gave tips for online interviewing, and then students attended specialty breakout sessions with Prisma Health residency program directors and SOM faculty. As an implementation and engagement component, MIV students were paired with an alumnus or alumna from their potential specialty to participate in virtual mock interviews during the month of September.
We were blown away at the turnout, as we were able to pair 51 alumni with 104 students. From the feedback that has already been received, this program left students feeling more confident and prepared heading into their interviews, and now connected to someone in their prospective fields who they can go to for guidance and support.
A huge thank you goes out to the following MD alumni for their dedication to our MIV students during this busy season: