Are your faculty advisors helpful?

[oldbearprofessor]

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Okay, this thread is for real.😛

The RRC (really...) does mandate that residents have a faculty advisor and meet with them regularly. I'm curious what the residents, etc think about this? Good and bad stories? How could the advisor be more helpful other than providing you more free food!

Did you get any say in your advisor/advisee? The advisor isn't supposed to necessarily be a "mentor", but should have some connection to the resident's interest.

What do you think? If you're worried about anonymity, you can PM comments to me for anonymous posting.

 

[BigNavyPedsGuy]

Okay, this thread is for real.😛

The RRC (really...) does mandate that residents have a faculty advisor and meet with them regularly. I'm curious what the residents, etc think about this? Good and bad stories? How could the advisor be more helpful other than providing you more free food!

Did you get any say in your advisor/advisee? The advisor isn't supposed to necessarily be a "mentor", but should have some connection to the resident's interest.

What do you think? If you're worried about anonymity, you can PM comments to me for anonymous posting.

At my program we can choose our advisors. A lot of people pick a subspecialist in a field that theyr'e interested in or just a faculty that they really like. Unfortunately, it does end up becoming a bit of a check-in-the-box just to fill RRC requirements.

To get a lot out of having a mentor, you have to find someone that really understands where residents are and remembers where they are coming from. A mentor has to really want to pour into a mentee. Sometimes the RRC requirements get in the way of this.

 

[kristing]

At my res program, we were assigned faculty advisors, but could switch if we wanted. I thought my advisor was so helpful. It was great to have someone in your corner when you met with the PD. Our faculty (for the most part) were very supportive in this role.

I didn't really *need* mine until about mid way through 2nd year... she didn't play too active of a role until I really needed her and then she came out full force in helping. I was very thankful for this.

I came from a small community based program, but I am doing fellowship in a bigger place now, and the biggest issue the residents have with their advisors is they don't actually meet with them. Or the meetings seem sort of superficial; on the phone, etc.

 

[Stitch]

My advisor was awesome and often helped me out. He'd page me 2-3 times a year to check in and make sure I was doing ok and occasionally take me out to dinner. He was also a big help in figuring out what I wanted to do when I finished and how to get letters and material for fellowship. Basically he aided in showing me the ropes and making sure things went smoothly for me during my training. I greatly appreciated it.

That said, I think he was a rarity compared to others in my class. Many never even heard from their advisors let alone met with them.

 

[LeftVentricle]

It's not my intention to hijack this thread, but speaking as someone who will begin his residency in July, I have a few questions about faculty advisors?

1. Is the faculty advisor chosen for the resident, or does the resident have a say in who his/her advisor is?

2. Does this vary from program to program?

Thanks!

 

[BigNavyPedsGuy]

It's not my intention to hijack this thread, but speaking as someone who will begin his residency in July, I have a few questions about faculty advisors?

1. Is the faculty advisor chosen for the resident, or does the resident have a say in who his/her advisor is?

2. Does this vary from program to program?

Thanks!

#2 yes

That answers #1