Bronco Spotlight: Carrie Sandborn

Photo of Carrie Sandborn

Certificate in higher education and student affairs, 2018

Assistant Professor in Family Medicine at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 

Providing small group problem based learning instruction, advising, and clinical skills instruction to medical students at MSU CHM. I am also a physician clinical educator who sees patients and teaches students in the clinical environment. 

What is the most rewarding and the most challenging part of your job?

I enjoy helping to develop amazing future physicians through professional, career, and academic advising. The most challenging part of my job is fulfilling my duties as a physician as well as being an educator. 

What experiences impacted the choice of your career path?

In academic medicine, few women are in leadership positions. It has been my dream to be a Dean of Student Affairs in a medical school. Yet, leadership at medical schools is still very male dominated. I felt it was necessary to gain a degree in student affairs in order to be competitive and obtain a job in medical school leadership. Rarely do Deans of Student Affairs in medical schools have the educational background to support their appointments to their positions. Often times, they lack any formal education in student affairs work but have years of experience in medicine. In order to be competitive with my male counterparts that tend to have years of on the job experience, I knew I would have to further my educational experience. 

What advice do you have for students looking for their career after college?

Students after graduation need to be ready and willing to relocate. It makes the job search much harder when you limit yourself to a certain location. I would also advise that students step out of their comfort zone by looking for careers in various different educational settings. Do not underestimate your abilities to be creative and apply to a job that you feel you may be a tad under-qualified. It is when you set the bar high for yourself that you will be surprised and rise to the challenge. You will become the leader you wish to be if you always challenge yourself.

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