Mentorship in Emergency Medicine
Jinger Sanders, MS
American University of Integrative Sciences
International Representative
As an IMG, navigating the challenging road of medicine is already a task, but being an IMG adds additional layers of trials. Seeking mentorship at each stage of your journey is imperative. The first mentor should be someone from your institution who is one academic level above you. Having someone share advice and study strategies during basic sciences can be essential to your success. As you prepare for clinical rotations, finding a mentor who has successfully matched into Emergency Medicine (resident or attending) to share wisdom on what you need for a successful match is crucial. If you can connect with an intern or PGY-2, it would be better since they are not far removed from the match cycle. Unfortunately, IMGs cannot participate in VSLO for finding away rotations. Therefore, having a mentor who has acquired away rotations, letters, and successfully matched becomes key. Access to someone who can share where they did rotations or where to look for opportunities is crucial.
Now, how do you find a mentor as an IMG? Here are three tips:
- Join an EM interest group or club during basic sciences. Some clubs/groups already have mentorship programs within their organization.
- Look up the alumni directory of your school for someone who matched into EM. Reach out to them through email, introduce yourself, and ask them to be your mentor!
- Join the EMRA mentorship program! Our MSC council has a mentorship coordinator who will match you with an EM physician.
After acquiring a mentor, make sure to cultivate the relationship. Share with your mentor what exactly you hope to gain from the mentorship, how often you would like to check in, and the best form of communication for them, whether it be email or text. Finding a mentor can be difficult, so if one person declines to be your mentor, keep searching and asking until you find someone who will. This journey is not easy, but having a mentor can make the difference in achieving your goal of matching.
