How many student groups did you join?

[GodComplex]

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How many student groups did you guys join during your first year? I am especially interested in how many interest groups and would like to know what sort of time commitments I should expect from most groups.

 

[DOFOSHO]

.

 

[wjs010]

I joined 2, one to get a free anatomy atlas and the other because I felt like I would eventually be interested in internal medicine. Many people join more. I don't think it's necessary unless you like it

 

[spicysoup55]

I'd recommend joining the specialty interest groups because it's a great way to meet physicians in the fields that you're interested in. Some of them provide shadowing opportunities and skills workshops (ex. suturing) as well

 

[pd1112]

> 90% of the time you don't need to be a member to go to the events & get free food & schtuff. Only join if you actually enjoy it and/or the field. Even then, not necessary.

 

[cbrons]

Dumb groups for gunners w premed mindset

 

[jdh71]

17

 

[pd1112]

Don't join AMA. I'll sell you RR Path & Netter's Flash Cards for cheaper than $64. This will all make sense in a couple weeks.

 

[Oo Cipher oO]

I joined 4 but ended up only really being involved in 1. I joined the IM specialty group cause they gave out a cool design t-shirt but I never went to any meetings.

 

[Psai]

lol typical premed
"how many groups did you join", not "how can i make a meaningful impact somewhere"

 

[DocWinter]

Pick one. Although some can be rightly poo-poohed, a few of the interest groups at my school have had great guest physicians come in, sports athletes (for the MSK/sports medicine group) and it has helped people who have an interest in a specialty simply get insight. Don't give it too much time or weight during 1/2 year, just check it out if you find the attraction.

That's what it is, an interest group, to allow you a little exposure to something. Big picture, it means very little.

 

[libraryismyhome]

I joined two and I am the president of one and the treasurer of another. It won't be helpful for the residency but it was somewhat helpful when I was doing interviews for the extramural research.

 

[Stagg737]

I joined 2. One for a free book and our international med club because I'm actually interested and they give scholarships for international trips. I'll probably join 1 specialty club this year, but that's just because their meetings are closed to non-members and I'm very interested.

> 90% of the time you don't need to be a member to go to the events & get free food & schtuff. Only join if you actually enjoy it and/or the field. Even then, not necessary.

Depends on the school and club. We have a member checklist for our club so non-members don't mooch off our food.

 

[MedWonk]

I joined one. It's a specialty interest group. Many don't join any. It's not a big deal. A lot of groups are excuses to have pizza parties. Some will actually do things that are a good use of your time, but most won't. Doesn't matter in the long run.

 

[Dr. America]

 

[awared2]

Wouldn't have gotten the publications I did without joining an interest group. I'd just go to whichever interest you and become a leader in the one you like the most when second years pass it down to your class.

 

[Raryn]

I think I joined something like 40 of them on our student group portal thingy. Just so I'd get all the announcements for events with free food. Some of the groups I would have had no interest in otherwise did have interesting events (workshops and such).

I was actually involved in like 3 or 4 groups.

 

[GodComplex]

lol typical premed
"how many groups did you join", not "how can i make a meaningful impact somewhere"

I think you misunderstood the meaning of my post. It was meant for me to figure out how many groups I could reasonably join to get more exposure to a couple of fields and figure out what I like without sacrificing study time. I already understand that it has little to no impact on residency placement. But hey, thanks for being helpful. [emoji38]

Thanks to everyone else.

 

[bonesandbooboos]

I "signed up" for most of them, simply for notifications of free food, free stuff and opportunities. At my school, you can only get asepsis training/OR training at this level by being attached to a surgical interest group. Like others mentioned, our whole class gets "invited" to hear a guest speaker during lunch hour w/free pizza, but those who've officially joined will receive E-mails for unique signups.

Because I was signed up, I got to spend an afternoon in the cardiac cath lab, went to a few suturing or knot tying labs, or dinners with faculty. And no, none of this matters for residency, but I appreciated being able to break up the monotony of the study day, meet new people and get some exposure to new specialties. I would ask your M2's which ones are actually worth anything.

 

[pancrease]

.

 

[*brobro*]

You typically get no added benefits by being a member. One of the above posters mentioned closed meetings to members only...that's the first time I've heard of something like that. At my school, you can attend any talks or workshops without being a member. Also, those workshops are typically unnecessary (if you want to learn how to suture, you can just purchase supplies and watch youtube videos on your own time) and seem to function only to make you feel doctorish but not actually provide valuable skills. As far as shadowing or research opportunities, you don't usually get any added benefit by being in a group. At my school, if you want to shadow or do research, you could simply pick a field and start emailing faculty. They are typically very receptive and easy going.

I have two pieces of advice:
1) If your grades aren't high, don't do anything extracurricular until you figure out how to get them higher.
2) Don't do anything extracurricular besides research unless you really want to do it for personal satisfaction.

 

[Redpancreas]

How many student groups did you guys join during your first year? I am especially interested in how many interest groups and would like to know what sort of time commitments I should expect from most groups.

Hey OP, nice question!


So as an M1 starting out at my school, we were basically just floating around interest groups which often provided lunch between our classes.
Then as M1 year winds down, the M2 group starts holding elections so basically a one leadership position, in my opinion, is something you should strive for.
Student organizations are very prevalent at my school and there's probably a position for everyone.I suggest you find one you can commit to and strive for a leadership position in that.
I personally am in two leadership positions but I am narrowing that to one for M2. My biggest concern is that these positions shift your focus from school
to sometimes useless stuff. Another big problem is that, medical students (I guess I speak like I'm not one), unlike non-pre-med undergraduates are not as passionate about
continuity of these things and whether or not what they accomplish things for the long term. Remember the pre-med undergrads who joined a group,
got their resume item and went on their merry way? That's what it's like in medical school. If you try to start an initiative it will also be 100x harder because everyone is
studying and no one has time to come to an event or take a survey.

On the bright side, if you tie your group directly to students motivation, you can get decent student participation. For example, if you're doing a surgery interest group and you regularly bring in surgeons for lunch talks and hold clinics for suturing and various skills in the evening, enough people will show.


TL;DR

-Limit to one interest group leadership position
-These positions require responsibility during M2 year
-Don't expect to go in and revolutionize the group. It won't happen.
-Organize events during periods in which students are required to come to class.

 

[Redpancreas]

I think you misunderstood the meaning of my post. It was meant for me to figure out how many groups I could reasonably join to get more exposure to a couple of fields and figure out what I like without sacrificing study time. I already understand that it has little to no impact on residency placement. But hey, thanks for being helpful. [emoji38]

Thanks to everyone else.

One OP, if you expect to make a meaningful contribution.


One student organization
One consistent form of exercise
One hobby
One day a week to chill in the evenings.


You should be able to do this and still have time to be a high performing medical student who makes him or herself eligible for competitive residencies.

 

[snow1010]

One OP, if you expect to make a meaningful contribution.


One student organization
One consistent form of exercise
One hobby
One day a week to chill in the evenings.


You should be able to do this and still have time to be a high performing medical student who makes him or herself eligible for competitive residencies.

Does walking to and from school count as a consistent form of exercise?

 

[IslandStyle808]

Does walking to and from school count as a consistent form of exercise?

Depends on how far your car is from school

 

[Giovanotto]

Never having joined a club in my time as an undergrad, and always finding them a bit silly, I was rather surprised to find out that medical students still participate in clubs while in school and make-pretend titles like "Chief Coordinator" and "treasurer" is supposed to be an app booster for residency. For all that is holy, please tell me PDs see through that bull**** just as sharply as a knife cuts through butter. The brown nosing never ends it seems.

 

[mistafab]

Starting out in M1 - I didn't join the murder of crows squaking at every interest group and student club since I wasn't sure how much work med school was yet. After a few months, I got an email about a cool opportunity for service that was up my alley - I got trained and joined that group since I wanted to do HIV and HCV testing in my city 3-4 hours a month. Fast forward about 6 months a couple students I know started a club that I was sort of interested in. I got involved and got a pub out of it, working on #2 with another student now - however I have no actual position with the club, I am just enjoying the benefits if you see what I mean.

So really I wouldn't say join X amount of clubs. I'd say that you might find yourself naturally getting involved in things without really meaning to eventually. My mom and GF always point out that anytime I say "I am not going to do anything," I end up getting involved in something.

 

[Lannister]

Zero. I wasted so much time box checking in undergrad, and I promised myself I wouldn't make the same mistake in med school. I'm involved in things I genuinely care about, and I don't give a crap about any of the special interests groups, so I didn't join any. If there was an A/I interest group I'd join, but I'm probably the only person in my class who wants to do A/I so it'd be a lonely club lol.

 

[wegh]

Like 2. They can be helpful to meet people in that field if you are planning on going into that field earlier on but every time I went to events, I felt like I was basically there to boost the CV of the students running the events. You are much better spending your time studying, doing research, or GASP hobbies!

 

[ExEngineer]

Zero

 

[Logic Inc]

1 - the 270 Gunner club. Hot chicks, booze, UFAPSDIT

 

[Troll-like receptor 4]

I plan on joining one or two at most. I am well aware that unlike when applying for med school, residency program directors couldn't give two f*cks about interest groups and such.
If i join any, it will be because I'm genuinely interested. I will probably just do SNMA and one or two interest groups, but my involvement will probably be minimal until I get my **** together, academically speaking.

 

[neoevolution]

Don't join AMA. I'll sell you RR Path & Netter's Flash Cards for cheaper than $64. This will all make sense in a couple weeks.

Haha, it was funded for us by the state med society, so everyone collected free copies. And then I talked to the mail delivery guy for the dorm and he was super pissed that no one bothered to pick up the journals they had subscribed for and he was running out of room to deliver them to...