Med Student Business Card

[angkim]

Would it be too weird to put your picture on the business card so that the people who receive them can remember you? I am planning to hand them out when I meet people at OMED this year. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thank you!

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[hallowmann]

I would find that weird. But that's me.

 

[angkim]

Haven't ordered them yet. At first I thought it was a good idea since if they come across my card later they could remember me but now i am having second thoughts that this is a weird idea.

 

[costales]

I doubt anyone will care either way. Wear your white coat so people don't mistake you for a realtor.

 

[Jlaw]

Very weird IMO. In fact having a business card as a med student is weird to begin with. If anything bring a copy of your CV if you meet program directors, etc who you want to set up meetings with or something.

My feeling is that you give out business cards if you expect people to contact you, and as a med student nobody is going to do that. If you make a connection get their info and then you reach out to them.

 

[Mad Jack]

Med student business card?

 

[angkim]

thanks everyone. Several students at my school got them thru the student government, and our school approved of using the school's logo on the card. But perhaps i will just not get one at all.
thanks all! Jlaw, thank you for your great suggestions; that's a great idea about bringing my cv.

 

[Doctor Bob]

Keep in mind the purpose of a business card; it's to give someone your contact information so that later when they want to get ahold of you they can reference it.

Programs, rotation sites, PDs, etc, are never going to call you as a medical student. It's incumbent on you to reach out and contact them for everything you need. So they would never need these cards. On the other hand you should be collecting as many contact cards as you can from these people so you have them on hand when it comes time for interviews, etc.

[edit... clearly I need to be more careful in reading the posts in the middle of the thread... jlaw said pretty much this exact same thing...]

When I was an attending (before deciding to go back to fellowship) and medstudents gave me business cards, I'd hold on to them until I passed the next trashcan. Eventually, I just started telling the students to hold on to them.

 

[SLC]

I have cards, school gave them to me as a student ambassador. I give them to pre-meds, with the instruction to email me if there's ever anything I can help them with. I don't hand them out to anyone else...

 

[hallowmann]

I have cards, school gave them to me as a student ambassador. I give them to pre-meds, but no one else.

I see it more as a networking thing with other students or people outside the profession. No people higher on the totem pole are going to keep or pay attention to the cards of people below them, but you should pay attention to their cards and keep in touch frequently.

 

[Dr. Zombie]

When I was an attending (before deciding to go back to fellowship).

Sorry to hijack the thread. But, how long do you think is an acceptable gap between being an attending and then going for a fellowship?

 

[AMEHigh]

Very weird IMO. In fact having a business card as a med student is weird to begin with. If anything bring a copy of your CV if you meet program directors, etc who you want to set up meetings with or something.

My feeling is that you give out business cards if you expect people to contact you, and as a med student nobody is going to do that. If you make a connection get their info and then you reach out to them.

As a med student networking doesn't always have to be with program directors. I've been to health related events and conferences where I've shared contact info with other students and health care professionals (including doctors). Obviously business cards aren't necessary, but there have been a few instances when I wish I had some to make it easier to exchange info. And people have contacted me after exchanging info. have had success networking as a med student and don't think it's such an odd idea to have a business card even though med school isn't technically a job.

OP, I wouldn't put your picture on the card though.

 

[cdistel]

Would it be too weird to put your picture on the business card so that the people who receive them can remember you? I am planning to hand them out when I meet people at OMED this year. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thank you!

Yep

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

I'd feel like an ass handing something like this out.

If I'd throw away my own card, I wonder what others would do with it.

 

[pathologyDO]

Med student business card?

Hahaha. My thoughts exactly

 

[Doctor Bob]

Sorry to hijack the thread. But, how long do you think is an acceptable gap between being an attending and then going for a fellowship?

As short a time as possible.

It's tough going back into training after being out for a while. 80 hour weeks become 36 hour weeks and then suddenly back to 80 hour weeks again. And you have to revert from being top of the heap to getting your notes signed again.

There's an advantage to some real world experience that is useful as a fellow, but there also comes a point where it becomes tough to train out bad habits from someone who has been out of training and developed their own style. I'm not sure where the crossover point is, but there's a reason that there aren't a lot of people who finish residency, go work, then return a few years later. It may also be paycheck momentum. Tough to go from 100-200k+ per year back down to resident salary.

 

[SurgeDO]

handing out a business card as medical student may be one of the worst ideas i have ever heard. it reeks of gunning. do less.

 

[Poliscidoc]

Our school lets us purchase business cards, I think the only people that use them are people that attend conferences or are in student leadership roles and network.

I don't really see anything wrong with it unless you are handing them out like a tool- but if you never worked in a job with a card before I can understand how you would be a weirdo giving them out and way too exctied

 

[Lawgiver]

id sooo make fun of you forever and talk behind your back about it. Two things I rarely do irl but will when justified.

 

[MLT2MT2DO]

id sooo make fun of you forever and talk behind your back about it. Two things I rarely do irl but will when justified.

Talking behind someone's back is never justified. If you're not man/woman enough to call them out in front of them, you're worse than a pre-med student handing out business cards.

 

[Doctor Bob]

Talking behind someone's back is never justified.

It's completely justified if they are facing away from you, and the topic of conversation is the giant spider on their back.

 

[costales]

Here's a prophylactic:

 

[giantswing]

I had two class mates who had cards. Even the attendings made fun of them.

 

[Dr. Zombie]

Cards are for important people. Medical students are really not that important until you earn the two letters after your name.

No matter how anyone wants to spin it, medical student "business cards" are just to satisfy the fragile med student ego, not to impress attending at conferences.

If you want to impress, do it with respect to your position on the totem pole where your stats and student contributions through research or etc. leaves that lasting impression you seek.