Advice #1:  Felix Ankel, MD
If you have been "assigned" a mentor that is not an emergency physician, ask to set up an appointment with an emergency physician that has gone through or is a part of an emergency medicine residency program.  Emergency medicine is such a rapidly changing field that advice is best gotten from people intimately involved in emergency medicine.  Try the SAEM Virtual Advisor Program
 

Advice #2:  Christopher Russi, DO
Finding the appropriate advisor/mentor is one of the most important elements in helping you get the best residency you can.  The best advisors are ones that have trained in an EM residency or are currently faculty at an EM residency program. The role of your advisor is to answer questions, help outline your third and fourth year schedules, write a letter on your behalf when applying to an EM residency, and make recommendations on where to do an elective rotation and where to do your residency.  After the match, he or she can help you prepare for your EM residency. Your advisor does not need to be from your medical school.  Search the SAEM website.  Under the website's Residency Catalog link, you will find a list of all allopathic EM residencies and their websites.  It is likely that you will find a physician who is willing to advise you.  With the advent of e-mail, it is easy to connect with potential advisors from across the country. The virtual advisor program was recently developed by SAEM and is available to help you answer many commonly asked questions.

 
Advice #3:  Fred Wenger, DO
Students with an interest in academic EM should apply to academically productive residencies. Academic mentors are helpful and are best found in active and productive residency programs. The prospective residency applicant interested in academics should determine the percentage of graduating EM residents that choose a career in academic EM.