On April 11th, 2018 we were honoured to have Dr. Juliana Bonilla-Velez host a Facebook Live event titled ‘You’ve Matched! What’s Next?’. Dr. Bonilla-Velez is the chief resident for Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Originally from Colombia, she is also a founder, editorial board member and former Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Medical Students.
Dr. Bonilla-Velez shared her tips on the exciting transition from medical school to residency. Medical students will find her discussion and step by step instructions interesting and informative as she fills in the gaps in terms of what happens next!
Topics Dr. Bonilla-Velez covers include:
- First off, celebrate, you did it!
- What to do in the months leading up to your residency
- Preparing for paperwork from your new institutions
- Moving to new cities
- Your first day of residency
- Reaching out for support, it’s okay to ask for help
- Educate yourself with survival guide like materials to know what is expected of you
- Managing clinical responsibilities
- Taking care of yourself
- Staying engaged with activities outside the clinic: Volunteering, research, academics, field organisations & associations
- Staying on top of your readings and research to continue progressing in your clinical studies
- Building leadership by getting involved in the medical community, student leadership groups, mentorships
- Setting goals over your residency
- The benefits of working with Journal Publications – IJMS.
Key Take-Aways:
- Your colleagues have all been through it before, they can support you!
- Take your time, don’t get overwhelmed by your clinical responsibilities and make sure to take care of yourself first
- Keep and build connections in academia, the medical community and in your clinical field
- Seek leadership opportunities within your clinical field
- Set goals you can achieve over your residency.
