Questions to Ask Students

Questions to Assist in Career Advisement

Goal:

• Your goal is to help the student discover their best possible career choice.
• You are a facilitator not a decision maker.
• Focus is the student, not yourself.

First-Year Students:

• What were the top two reasons you chose medicine as a career? Are these still real or valid? Reasons for you to be in medical school? Can you reflect on these reasons now, as a medical student?
• What career issues are on your mind today?
• What classes are you taking? What have you found enjoyable about some of the classes? What aspects of your classes are you not enjoying?
• What are you passionate about?
• Do you prefer formal or informal relationships? How does the specialties (y) you are interested in relate to your answer.
• How do you see work fitting into your life plan? Which specialties do you think will help you achieve this work-to-life alignment?
• What are the skills you are best at and enjoy using the most?
• Do you like working more with people or technology?
• What are three things you do very well? Let’s list specialties that use these attributes.
• What career specialties are you thinking about? Tell me why each of these interests you. Tell me any areas of concern you have with each of these.

Third- and Fourth-Year Students:

• What specialties are you avoiding? Why?
• What career specialties are you thinking about? Tell me why each of these interests you. Tell me any areas of concern you have with each of these.
• What criteria are you using to make a career decision?
• What are the skills you are best at and enjoy using the most during your clerkships?
• What new skills would help you understand your career choices better?
• What do you think will be the most/least enjoyable aspect of this specialty for you?
• Tell me about your most interesting case and describe what you learned from it. How does this experience relate to your specialty choice?

Students with Major Indecision:

• You are experiencing difficulty in making a career choice? What has helped you in the past when attempting to make a decision?
• What activities should you do to assist in exploring your indecision?
• What can you do in the next four months to have an impact on your decision-making process?