Any benefit to being a joiner?

[RookTookIt]

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Hi all. It seems like there are a millions opportunities to join various clubs/groups in the first few weeks of school. I typically am not the joining type, but I do want to make good contacts (with classmates, faculty, admins). Right now I'm just focused on school, but it seems like we get 30 emails a day asking us to participate in something or other. Is there any real benefit to these groups? Are they a time suck? I'm mostly thinking about:
- AMA
- various specialty interest groups
- being a tour guide
- free health clinic

Thanks in advance!

 

[RookTookIt]

Ok, so now I see that everybody and their mom is asking this same question. Sorry for a repeat! Feel free to ignore. Or feel free to share your experiences with certain clubs!

 

[Ioriscrub]

Well from every survey that's been done residency programs by-and-large do not care what your extracurricular activities in medical school were so....no there isn't really a "benefit" to being a joiner, and you'd probably be better off putting your time into studying for step 1 or doing some research if being as competitive for residency as possible is your goal.
That being said, they can still be good experiences and let you be social, so depending on what you're looking for they can still be worth doing.
My 2 cents at least.

 

[Ghost22]

Fun stuff to do, free food for attending lots of the meetings early in the year, & service hours (if your school requires them) are usually accomplished most easily through clubs.

 

[Guevara M.D.]

These clubs are not going to help you land a hot residency in Paradise Island but they are useful in that it creates networks of like-minded people. If you're into Family Medicine joining a Family Medicine Interest Group helps you meet other students that think like you or enjoy the same things you do. You can make new friends, hear about new opportunities, meet a future significant other/bedmate, attend interesting and informative workshops etc.

I wouldn't join a million of them but I would definitely think about being active in one or two kick ass ones. I fully recommend Physicians for Human Rights. Great group, full of interesting speakers, and gives you another view on the duties of a doctor.