Career Advising (Sept 2022): UC Davis school of Medicine launched a new Career Advising website in September 2022, aimed at providing you with all the necessary resources and support to help you make informed decisions about your career path. Our website offers a diverse range of career-related services, including specialty information sheets, tips on writing CV and personal statement, interview preparation, and shadowing resources. We also provide access to a variety of specialty-related handouts and videos, giving you the opportunity to explore different specialties and make informed decisions about your future career. We have added more career advising touch points in all four years of the curriculum, including a new session for incoming students during the Transition to Medical School orientation week.  We also hired a new Director of Career Advising, Dr. Terry Duong in the Department of Medicine.

Wellness (April 2023): We heard you ask for more counseling services and we are pleased to say that April 1, Dr. Vanessa Wu from Student Health and Counseling will be joining the School of Medicine Counseling team. Dr. Wu can be contacted at medschoolcounseling@ucdavis.edu

Leadership in the Office of Medical Education (OME) has been working with class wellness reps to help address the need for quiet space while improving the wellness room in the Education Building. We've decided on a few changes:

  • The current “Wellness Room” has been relocated to the “Lounge Room” on the 4th floor. The room has been restructured to fit the needs of the space including dance and yoga classes. We removed the majority of the current furniture and moved all the fitness equipment in.
  • The “Wellness Room” has been converted to the “Quiet Room”. This room has a private area for prayer and an area for students to unwind or nap without any noise or distractions. Please be mindful of that when using the space.

Gym (Jan 2023): Given the delay in construction of the new gym and the state of the current gym in Sacramento, the School of Medicine partnered with Northern CA 24 Hour Fitness to offer gold gym memberships at no cost to medical students. Students began accessing 24 Hour Fitness on January 16, 2023. Please click here for more information.

Outdoor Fitness Court (April 2023): The Outdoor Fitness Court is now open at the Sacramento campus!

Debt Management Counseling and Financial Literacy activities have been planned for all four years of students (2022-23).
  • MS1s had an orientation webinar in July and a Federal Loan Entrance Counseling Workshop was provided as an online resource.
  • MS2s had a Financial Literacy Workshop in September focusing on STEP registration, preparation, and other costs.
  • MS3s had a Financial Literacy Workshop in November focusing on the costs associated with residency and away rotations.
  • MS4s have several activities:
    • Financial Boot Camp in November presented by “Doctors without Quarters” focusing on health insurance, purchasing a home, and retirement.  
    • “Strategies for Managing Student Debt” in March focusing on repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
    • Scheduled in April, the “In-person 30 Minute Loan Repayment Sessions” are one-on-one sessions to discuss loan repayment options and strategies.
    • Scheduled in May, the “Required Exit Loan Counseling” will be offered to those who have any amount of student loan debt.
  • Ongoing activities include:
    • Monthly Newsletter covering current Financial Aid information.
    • AAMC Financial Wellness Program, which includes financial calculators, articles, and videos to help create a budget, track spending, create financial goals, and information about credit, financial planning, and money management.
    • AAMC FIRST Friday Webinars, topics include: paying for medical school, money management, cost of residency interviews, postponing loan repayment, selecting a loan repayment plan, and managing your loans during residency.
    • Emails about scholarship, grant and loan opportunities: the Financial Aid Office sends periodic emails to students about funding opportunities.

ECQI/LCME Accreditation Efforts

  • Students participated in a school-wide survey to ensure broad student input in response to four continuing LCME citations on curriculum (two citations), student space at the medical center and hospital, and student advising. Results of the survey can be found here (March 2024). We will continue to work with the student leaders on next steps and implementation timelines. 

    A huge thank you to our ECQI student representatives Davis Chong, Tajena Jones, and Jesslyn Magee for their work on this project, as well as to all the student leaders who helped us to shape and interpret the survey.