In Year Two, we support students as they continue to explore different professional trajectories through panels and begin thinking about elective planning. Students also connect with program directors and faculty through specialty interest groups and panels at career fairs, while engaging in further preparation for Year Three. The following year is when students narrow down their specialty choice and officially start the residency application process. Our curriculum for Year Three includes an overview of the residency application process, planning for their final year, and preparing for the Medical Student Performance Evaluation. We also offer optional sessions on scholarly years and early match opportunities.

Our Year Four focus is on helping our students secure a residency, and involves in-depth residency planning, understanding the upcoming transitional years, interview preparation—including mock interviewing—and supporting students as they build their personal statements. We also help each student organize a rank order list for their residency match.

Throughout all four years at the Icahn School, we offer access to our mentor database, a search tool that connects students to faculty members throughout the Mount Sinai Health System. We also partner with the Office for Alumni and Development, which provides a comprehensive database of alumni mentors around the country who are committed to supporting our students. This partnership also regularly coordinates alumni sessions that allow current medical students to have specialty-specific and career-based conversations with our former graduates, who are now at work all over the world.  

Our Career and Professional Development Team offers programming in support of medical students throughout their time at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. This programming covers a range of topics, such as narrative building, CV writing, guidance on crafting personal statements, mock interviewing, professional headshots, application advising, and match advising.

Specialty Advising

We encourage every student to meet with clinicians, scientists, and faculty to discuss career opportunities. Each clinical department has a designated individual ready to give our students advice regarding that discipline. Among other topics, this individual can provide career guidance when applying for residency.

Our departmental chairs also support the residency application process and are available to speak with students about pursuing residency in their discipline. We additionally encourage students to take full advantage of the student-run specialty groups that offer activities to explore residency further along with the residency information sessions hosted every spring.