Mentors Program
Program Overview:
The UIC COM Mentors Program aims to expose students to a variety of medical specialties and integrate the basic sciences with clinical thinking skills. Interested students are matched with a resident or fellow from a specialty and have the opportunity to enter the clinic and receive hands-on training. This program arose in large part due to expressed student interest, and students who have participated in the program in the past have found it to be a very rewarding experience.
Throughout the year, the Mentor Program will provide students the opportunity to attend 5-6 workshops lead by specialists from various fields. These workshops are created to expand students’ interests and broaden their medical knowledge. They accomplish this by facilitating more in-depth discussions and offering new insights into different specialties and medical topics.
Program Objectives:
1) First/second year medical students will spend at least one half day in clinic with a fellow or resident.
2) The medical student will choose a workshop provided by the program or, with the assistance of the fellow/resident, identify an interesting patient case from the day’s activities and post a brief reflection on the program’s Blackboard site.
3) Students will submit a formal write-up on one case, which will also include class correlates; an M4 will provide formative feedback.
4) During the Spring semester, students will be expected to collaborate with 3-4 other peers to create and present a poster at the annual Mentors Program Symposium. Faculty and M4 judges will evaluate the presentations and give constructive feedback.
Student Testimonies:
“The Mentors Program is an opportunity for both students who know what specialty they want to pursue and who would like to gain early experience and mentorship, as well as for students who would like to explore different specialties to see what fits their interests best.”
“I had an amazing experience with my mentor last year! I personally did not shadow many physicians in the past, and this program provided me with an invaluable experience shadowing an anesthesiologist. He was very kind, patient, and willing to provide me with hands-on experience.”
Specialty choices represented in the program (subject to changes depending on current year recruitment):
- Anesthesiology
- Cardiology
- Emergency Medicine
- Endocrinology
- Dermatology
- Family Medicine
- Gastroenterology
- Hematology/Oncology
- Internal Medicine
- Medicine/Pediatrics
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Pathology
- Pediatrics
- Plastic Surgery
- Psychiatry
- Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Ophthalmology
- Orthopaedic Surgery
- Otolaryngology
- Radiology
- Surgery
- Urology
We look forward to working with you.
Mentor’s Program Poster Symposia
Mentors Program Leadership
The Mentors Program was developed at UIC.
Thanks for making Mentors Program history. http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/uicnews/articledetail.cgi?id=12429