Choosing an Advisor

Abstract

You have decided the field you want to pursue and have begun to think about your chances of matching. You have a sense of what the steps are going to be and the timetable for them, but it all still seems daunting. This is where your residency advisor comes in. He or she will be the most useful tool you have at your disposal. It is your advisor who can act as a touchstone for your thoughts, point you in the right direction, and keep you on track for a match that is right for you. He or she provides moral support and is an endless source of information that is not readily available anywhere else. This person is different for any advisors you have had during medical school thus far; he or she will be a mentor. This mentor is specific and skilled in the process of getting you into the residency of your choice. Given the value of your advisor, how do you go about getting the right one and using him or her to best advantage?