Center for Career Development
Doctor of Medicine students
The Center for Career Development (CCD) supports the Division of Student Affairs’ mission by fostering students’ personal and professional growth. The CCD provides support and resources through the Career Pathways Program, individualized career coaching, physician specialty mentoring and advising, and comprehensive residency planning to promote your career and professional goals.
The Career Pathways Program
The Career Pathways Program is a 4-year longitudinal co-curricular required program for students throughout the Total Health Curriculum. Its framework is guided by the “Careers in Medicine” (CiM) model to support all phases of your career decision-making process. The program uses diverse instructional methodologies, including self-assessments, interactive lectures, panel discussions and mock interviews. Our goals are to assist you in self-reflection to identify your skills, abilities and interests as you choose a medical specialty, and to support you in developing a self-directed career and resource identification plan.
Contact us
Christin Spatz, MD, FASN
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and MD Career Advising
Associate Professor of Medicine
cmspatz@geisinger.edu
Kelly Herbst, MEd
Manager of Student Affairs Clinical Activities
kherbst1@geisinger.edu
Career coaching
The career coach program provides you with the knowledge, support and resources necessary to make informed career decisions. You’re assigned a career coach at the time of matriculation and expected to work with them to consider career pathways, goal-set and receive feedback on your curriculum vitae, personal statement and residency application.
Physician specialty mentoring and advising
Our mentoring platform, Geisinger Connect, provides you with easy access to physician mentors — including alumni — who can support your career planning and help you achieve success. You’ll also be paired with a physician specialty adviser at your transition into Phase 3 of the Total Health Curriculum. These advisers receive training and have significant experience in specialty-specific application processes and MATCH trends.
Residency planning support
The CCD offers you comprehensive residency planning support. Individual student meetings held throughout Phase 3 help you with personal statement development, application strategy and review of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE). A residency planning team consisting of CCD staff, specialty advisors and regional campus leadership meets regularly to review all Phase 3 students. You’re risk stratified based on the likelihood of a successful match using your metrics, interview numbers and national data. Select students are prepared for the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP), if needed.