Faculty Development Through SOAP Advising

Faculty career advisors (FCAs) play a critical role in supporting medical students through the residency application process; however, preparation for advising during the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP) remains limited. SOAP is a high-stakes, time-compressed process that requires rapid decision making and emotional support for unmatched students, yet it is often approached without formal faculty training. Given the disproportionate share of family medicine SOAP positions, this gap is particularly significant for faculty in the specialty. This article reframes SOAP advising as a concentrated and underrecognized opportunity for faculty development. Drawing on existing advising frameworks and the unique demands of SOAP, we describe how this experience requires faculty to integrate advanced advising, coaching, and mentorship skills under conditions of uncertainty, urgency, and emotional intensity. Key skills developed through SOAP advising include rapid situational assessment, crisis communication, career-discernment coaching, application reframing, and decision making under uncertainty. We further outline practical strategies to promote faculty growth, including structured pre-SOAP training, longitudinal peer mentorship, engagement with national preparatory resources, and post-SOAP debriefing and reflection. By recognizing SOAP as both a critical advising responsibility and a developmental experience, institutions can better prepare faculty and enhance their effectiveness.