Faculty Advisor

 

Faculty Advisor


Planning The Senior Year Faculty Advisor’s: The University of South Alabama College of Medicine is concerned with the entire experience of its students, including their academic, professional, and personal experience. The faculty advising process at USA attempts to demonstrate this concern in concrete ways. The faculty advisor will serve as a liaison between the student, the USA clinical departments and the Mobile area medical community and make important contributions in the shaping of the student as a practitioner. The advisor will provide consultation regarding curriculum choices and residency/specialty selection.

Faculty Advisors can be located in the Career Planning Manual under each department. The senior advisor should be selected from the list of faculty submitted from each department. These faculty members have been identified as particularly knowledgeable person who are willing to serve in this capacity. It is desirable, but not absolutely necessary, that the advisor be in the field of major interest(s). Ideally he/she should be someone familiar with the student's clinical performance. It is the student's responsibility to meet regularly with the selected advisor. A student cannot add any M4 courses to their schedule until they have obtained a Faculty Advisor. The signed faculty advisor form must be returned to Karen Braswell in Mastin #202 by March 21, 2019. 

Faculty Advisor’s Responsibilities


  1. Provide guidance and assistance in achieving academic objectives and, in some cases, recommend remediation, efforts. Provide feedback concerning the student’s Personal Statement and Curriculum Vitae.

  2. Review the advisee's performance in past courses/rotations, as well as the student’s senior year schedule and approve the courses. The advisor will meet with the advisee to discuss his/her academic progress.

  3. Approve by signature the advisee's senior course schedule and drop/add schedule changes.

  4. Provide guidance and assistance in developing career goals and, specifically, work with the student and the Office of Medical Education & Student Affairs in the preparation of a list of appropriate residency programs for which the advisee is competitive.

  5. Be available for personal advising and counseling, and/or to direct the student to appropriate resources.

  6. Be a liaison between the student and the College in those cases where a faculty advocate is needed.

  7. Write a letter of recommendation (LOR) to accompany advisee's residency application.

The senior advisor should be selected from the list of faculty submitted from each department. These faculty members have been identified as particularly knowledgeable persons who are willing to serve in this capacity. It is desirable, but not absolutely necessary, that the advisor be in the field of major interest(s). Ideally he/she should be someone familiar with the student’s clinical performance. It is the student’s responsibility to meet regularly with the selected advisor. A student cannot add any M4 courses to their schedule until they have obtained a Faculty Advisor. The signed faculty advisor form must be returned to Karen Braswell in Mastin #202 by March 21, 2019. 

Student Responsibilities


  1. Select a faculty advisor by March 21, 2019.
    A student cannot add any M4 courses to their schedule until they have obtained a Faculty Advisor and returned the signed form to Karen Braswell in Mastin #202 by March 21, 2019.

  2. Regular meetings
    It is the student’s responsibility to meet regularly with the selected advisor. The student must provide a copy of their transcript (printed from PAWS), class rank, Step 1 score, and copies of any clinical evaluations which have been completed to their advisor at the initial meeting. The student should update their advisor of any change/s in their academic standing throughout the year.