A family medicine faculty mentor can get to know you as an individual – understanding your strengths, weaknesses, hopes, fears, and use these to guide you through medical school and the residency application process.   A mentor can assist you by using their real life experience as well as their experience working with other medical students.  They will serve as a resource, guide, sounding board and assistant as you make important decisions about your future career.  Our mentors are enthusiastic about working with you to achieve your personal goals from your mentorship relationship.

In short, a mentorship can:

  • Establish a working and long-term relationship with a trusted faculty advocate.
  • Introduce you to resources and experiences that expand your understanding of family medicine.
  • Validate and support your interest in family medicine.
  • Provide support and guidance through the residency application and match process (such as choosing electives, obtaining letters of recommendations, determining residency programs to apply to, writing a personal statement).

If you are interested in learning more about advising specific to residency choice/application contact: Nicole.Watson@fammed.wisc.edu

Please see the listings of mentors who are excited to work with students this year. This list includes the location and special interests of our faculty members.  Consider a faculty member who has similar interests, background, or training where you would like to locate.  All faculty mentors have indicated interest in working with students, and are happy to meet with you, get to know you and address your concerns.  If you have identified a faculty member that you know or have worked with in the past that you would like to work and they are not on this list, please contact the OMSE office (Nicole.Watson@fammed.wisc.edu).

You will be asked to rank your choices for a mentor.  We will get back to you with an identified mentor within a few weeks.

We recommend selecting a mentor early in the course of medical school.   This allows you and your mentor to forge a strong relationship and ensures that you will have guidance through all aspects of medical school.  However, our mentors are happy to begin working with you at any stage of your training process.

You will receive the name of your mentor and his/her office number and email.  You will reach out to your mentor, making initial contact, to arrange a meeting.

We encourage you to schedule at least half an hour for this first meeting so the mentor can get to know you and your needs.   It may be helpful for you to bring a list of goals or question to this meeting.  From this initial meeting, you and the mentor can discuss follow up plans. Some students meet many times with their mentors; others communicate more by phone or e-mail.

Med student mentoring

Request Mentor

Fill out the Mentor Request Form.

Contact

Nicole Watson
OMSE Medical Student Programs Coordinator
Email: Contact
(608) 263-1334