Electronic Spring 2024 | Issue 58

Paying it Forward: Embracing the Spirit of Mentorship and Collaboration

By: Jasleen Singh, MD

This year, the RFM and medical student committees are proud to report another successful set of mentorship events. For the second year, these committees have collaborated to help medical students seek advice and guidance from residents and fellows through a series of virtual resident panels and breakout sessions.

The series kicked off in September with a zoom breakout session for medical students of all levels. Students had the opportunity to rotate through each "room", with a different resident/fellow in each and a different topic designated to each. Topics of discussion included psychiatry as a career, how to get involved in medical school, psychiatry clerkships and 4th year electives, and topics related to applying to psychiatry residency programs. 

This session was followed by a 1.5 hour panel featuring residents and fellows who shared their experiences and advice with the residency interview process. The panel was held in mid-October. Students were asked to submit questions that they wanted addressed, and this was used to compile a list of topics for panelists to address. This was followed by a short Q&A for any remaining questions at the end of the event.

The series concluded with a virtual panel in January on the match and ranking for psychiatry residency application process. Overall, residents expressed enjoying participating in the events and being able to share their knowledge and experiences with medical students. Similarly, medical students expressed their appreciation hearing from residents, learning from shared experiences, and having the opportunity to have questions answered. 

Going forward, these two committees look forward to opportunities to continue to collaborate, as well as continuing with this series, and potentially even expanding it in the future!