Learning Community

MEDICAL EDUCATION

Before arriving to campus, every new medical student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is added to a learning community that includes both classmates and peers from other years. Led by one of our physicians with support from a social worker, our learning communities serve as opportunities to engage in both longitudinal and vertical relationships throughout the Icahn School.

Currently there are 10 learning communities coordinated by the Office for Medical Student Affairs. The physicians that lead these communities are called Career Advisors, while the social workers serve as Wellness Advisors.

Our Career Advisors practice within the Mount Sinai Health System and have no role in the assessment or advancement of students. They serve as the first point of contact for academic, career, and professional development for the students in their learning community. They meet with these students at least twice a year to develop goals, reflect on academic performance, create clinical schedules, and other important tasks that align with milestones toward graduation. Additional meetings may occur as often as a student desires.

Wellness Advisors are clinical social workers within the Mount Sinai Health System who provide personal support to students within their learning community. They help these students manage both normative and individualized challenges associated with being in medical school. Wellness Advisors meet with their students twice in the first year and annually thereafter, or more, if the student requests additional meetings.