Professional development is the process of identifying personal goals and the use of tools, resources, and training to improve, grow, and succeed. Medical school isn't just about academics and research; it's a crucial period for defining career goals, developing non-technical skills, and self-discovery. Make yourself stand out to future employers by taking advantage of professional development opportunities to perfect skills you'll use throughout your career.
Career Resources and Programs
Explore careers, understand the path to success for a given career path, and prepare yourself to be a competitive candidate for the job you desire.
It is never too early for you to start exploring careers that line up with your personality and professional goals. Take an active role in your exploration. Understand what is satisfying in your professional life and how that translates into a career that will be incredibly fulfilling.
Attending events and training is an excellent opportunity to gain knowledge, ask your questions and interact with other individuals who are interested in the same topics.
Careers in Medicine Program for Undergraduates
The Careers in Medicine program is a 4-year structured career planning program for undergraduates. As part of our advising program, it is meant to help you untangle the career planning process and find a career that fits. The program includes:
- Multiple online tools & assessments to help you through the process
- Class meetings
- 1-to-1 meetings with Society Deans
- Student panels
- Specialty mentors
- Career planning and residency preparation meetings-4th year
Navigating Through Medical School to Residency
Finding your way through medical school, making decisions, and landing a residency can be a big challenge. To help provide some clarity, the Office of Student Affairs works with a dedicated group of senior students every year to curate, update, and publish a website for students, by students. Check out the CaseMed Guidebook’s Roadmap to Residency website (single sign-on required).
Residency Application Resources
- MSPE Noteworthy Characteristics Examples
- MSPE Research Examples
- Letters of Recommendation Author Tip Sheet
- AAMC Careers in Medicine
- AMA FREIDA Online
- NRMP Residency Data & Match Information
- AAMC Residency Explorer Tool
- AAMC Apply Smart
Match Day Timelines
If you like to plan ahead, check out these comprehensive timelines for all things throughout medical school to Match Day and beyond. You can also find our Careers in Medicine Programming Report for 2023-2024.
- CWRU Match Timeline - Class of 2026
- CWRU Match Timeline - Class of 2027
- CWRU Match Timeline - Class of 2028
Graduate Professional Development Center
The Graduate Professional Development Center was created to provide professional development resources and programs for graduate students and postdocs. The center collaborates with CWRU schools and departments to provide these services.
Contact the Graduate Studies Professional Development Center at gradprofdev@case.edu for more information.
View Graduate Studies Campus Groups Page
Individual Development Plans (IDP) for Graduates
Do you know what you want your career to look like in 5-10 years and the steps you need to get there in a timely manner? Individual Development Plans (IDPs) identify your professional development needs and career goals, helping you create a short-term plan and tools to improve your performance. Start planning your career now!
Teaching Careers
PhD graduates may choose positions at undergraduate liberal arts colleges, where teaching excellence as well as research acumen are important. There are a number of programs designed for postdoctoral trainees to increase the formal teaching activities and training in addition to research needed to win college and university teaching-intensive positions.
Teaching Internship for Postdoctorates
Research or Teaching Fellowships
- Davidson College
- Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST)
- The Wisconsin Program for Scientific Teaching
- UC San Diego IRACDA (Professors for the Future)
- University of North Carolina SPIRE Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
- University of Arizona Center for Insect Science Postdoctoral Excellence in Research and Teaching
Additional Career Resources
Graduate Level Courses
Science is constantly evolving. Jobs will continue to change and evolve and people will need to evolve as well. Here at the School of Medicine, we are here to teach you the importance of being a well rounded individual who continues to prepare for changes throughout their professional career. We provide courses and formal training on how to approach professional development for whatever stage of career you are in.
MGRD 425: Leadership and Professional Development Skills for Biomedical Sciences was designed to give graduate students in the biomedical and health sciences an opportunity to reflect on their professional skills and develop skills in the area of leadership, teamwork, critical thinking, creativity and problem solving. This course is typically offered each semester. It is a zero credit course that meets once a week.
MGRD 475: Foundations of Career Exploration for Masters Students was designed to help encourage and guide master level graduate students in the biomedical and health sciences through proactive career planning by equipping them with information, resources, confidence, and self-assessment tools necessary to make informed career choices. Through this course, students will complete self-assessment exercises and participate in career exploration activities such as informational interviewing, researching and presenting summaries of career pathways, and attending a career panel. Students will culminate all that they learn in a final individual development plan (IDP) poster session where the students present at least two careers of interest, career related SMART goals and self-assessment information in a visual IDP format. Through this course, students will reflect on their personal career goals and skills and learn how they fit into a satisfying career. This course is typically offered in the spring semester. It is a zero credit course that meets once a week for 8 weeks.
MGRD 500: Foundations of Career Exploration for PhDs was designed to help encourage and guide doctoral students and postdocs in the biomedical and health sciences through proactive career planning by equipping them with information, resources, confidence, and self-assessment tools necessary to make informed career choices. Through this course, students will complete self-assessment exercises and participate in career exploration activities such as informational interviewing, researching and presenting summaries of career pathways, and attending a career panel. Students will culminate all that they learn in a final individual development plan (IDP) poster session where the students present at least two careers of interest, career related SMART goals and self-assessment information in a visual IDP format. Through this course, students will reflect on their personal career goals and skills and learn how they fit into a satisfying career. This course is typically offered each semester. It is a zero credit course that meets once a week for 8 weeks.
Additional Training Resources
Additional Resources
Resources at Case Western Reserve University
- Center for Career Success
- Entrepreneurship at the School of Medicine
- Flora Stone Mather Center
- Wellness Resources
Creating and Maintaining a CV
The Curriculum Vitae is an essential document that needs to be maintained throughout a physician's career. Medical students will need to have a CV ready starting in their first year; this will be used for requesting letters of recommendation, applying for scholarships or research fellowships, applying to residency, and more.
Graduate Level Medical Groups
Ohio Life Sciences
"OLS is Ohio’s life sciences industry trade association, representing an industry that includes more than 4,200 organizations statewide. Ohio Life Sciences convenes and advocates on behalf of biotech, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, labs, digital health, gene and cell therapy, agricultural biotechnology, and research and academic institutions throughout Ohio. OLS is the voice representing and advocating for the common interests of our life sciences community."
Free the PhD
"We are PhD-trained individuals just like you – who struggled, flailed, failed and blundered into our futures, complete with stress, uncertainty and a truckload of imposter syndrome.
Now that we’re out of the academic system, we want to help make the transition experience easier – and help the academic system change and adapt to the realities of the working world, one PhD and one job offer at a time... led by our determination to be the change we want to see."