Voice of experience: Students, DO mentors connect at OMED

When you write your CV, channel the voice of a family member who’s extremely proud of you. That’s one of many tips osteopathic medical students gleaned from OMED’s student mentoring session. The event connected physicians from various osteopathic specialty colleges with future DOs eager to learn about that specialty.

Optimizing your CV

Scott S. Cyrus, DO, an osteopathic pediatrician in Tulsa, Oklahoma, told students how impressed he is by their level of community involvement. “When I was in med school, all I did was study—I wasn’t raising $25,000 for pediatric cancer research!” he quipped. CVs should be thorough in documenting volunteer work and employment, he advised, but it’s best to omit achievements from high school.

Tricia M. Kim, a second-year osteopathic medical student at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) in Erie, Pennsylvania, relished the chance to get advice from physicians, calling the experience “really, really valuable.” Hearing about work-life balance in the various specialties was especially thought-provoking, she noted.

Charting a course

At another table, Patricia Goodwin, DO, and Thiago Queiroz, DO, both interns in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Larkin Community Hospital in South Miami, Florida, fielded questions from students wondering how to determine whether the specialty would be a good fit. “Physical medicine and rehab isn’t as well known, so students often haven’t had as much exposure to it,” Dr. Queiroz noted.

To get a sense of what the specialty is like, Dr. Queiroz advised students to call programs they’re interested in, the earlier the better, to see if they offer clinical rotations that match up with students’ elective slots.

Audition rotations can also help students get a foot in the door, Dr. Goodwin noted, since residents will have a sense of how you work and will likely share their impressions with the residency program director.