Necessary for DO students to sign up for AMA?

[AHillock]

I have heard a few classmates and upperclassmen tell me that I should sign up for the AMA, especially if I might do a MD residency in the future. Is that true? Is it that important to have the AMA on your resume to land a MD residency, or is taking the USMLE and doing well in classes enough?

Concerned MSI

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[Dr JPH]

I have heard a few classmates and upperclassmen tell me that I should sign up for the AMA, especially if I might do a MD residency in the future. Is that true? Is it that important to have the AMA on your resume to land a MD residency, or is taking the USMLE and doing well in classes enough?

Concerned MSI

I signed up for AMA to get a free copy of Stedmans Dictionary and a JAMA subscription.

JAMA is good toilet reading and worth my initial dues fee...or it was worth it when I was a student. Dont read it now.

With that said, I dont think you can join too many professional organizations. Take advantage of the low fees for students and the lack of responsibility (dont have to attend meetings, etc).

Also, be ready for lots of junk email.

 

[Old_Mil]

I have heard a few classmates and upperclassmen tell me that I should sign up for the AMA, especially if I might do a MD residency in the future. Is that true? Is it that important to have the AMA on your resume to land a MD residency, or is taking the USMLE and doing well in classes enough?

Concerned MSI

That depends. If you're DO proud and dedicated to going into FP or PMNR and practicing OMM, it probably won't help at all.

On the other hand, if you'd like to have a more traditional, evidence based practice and do an allopathic residency, then yes, it can help...not just having it on the resume, but the people you'll meet and the opportunities you'll have through the AMA will give you a better understanding of how medicine really works.

 

[McDoctor]

I sort of disagree that it'll help your resume. I've seen figures that state only about one third of practicing physicians maintain active membership in the AMA. Sure, if you are active in the organization, it will help you. But I wouldn't pay the dues just for the sake of putting it on your resume.

I agree, though, that it may be worth it for the free journals. Depends how much time you have to read them.

 

[Dr JPH]

I dont think membership in a non-selective organization (just pay your dues and youre a member) can significantly help your resume.

 

[rad_one]

It is not that important as a student. But as a praticing physician, paying membership dues helps the AMA to fight political battles on your behalf. Like issues such as malpractice and declining medicare reimbursement.

 

[Dr JPH]

It is not that important as a student. But as a praticing physician, paying membership dues helps the AMA to fight political battles on your behalf. Like issues such as malpractice and declining medicare reimbursement.

Then I want my dues back because they are doing a $hitty job.

 

[ellasmom]

Then I want my dues back because they are doing a $hitty job.

Ditto

 

[DrWBD]

I have heard a few classmates and upperclassmen tell me that I should sign up for the AMA, especially if I might do a MD residency in the future. Is that true? Is it that important to have the AMA on your resume to land a MD residency, or is taking the USMLE and doing well in classes enough?

Concerned MSI

Your classmates and upperclassmen are clueless.
The AMA is becoming more and more of an irrelevant institution every day.
They also have nothing to do with you getting a residency position or not.
Join the AMA if you want a subscription to JAMA, otherwise don't bother.

 

[AHillock]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I also didn't think it was that important to sign up for the AMA, but everyone around me was telling me that if I wanted to go the allopathic route for residency that this would be very important to have. I just didn't see how this would have any influence. So thank you for your opinions. I would also agree that the AMA has been doing a horrible job, but that is a different issue all together.

 

[lastchanceDO]

So, if signing up for AMA online doesn't really do anything for getting residency then would starting up a chapter at the school be better? what do you think of that option? or am i just wasting time?

 

[Old_Mil]

So, if signing up for AMA online doesn't really do anything for getting residency then would starting up a chapter at the school be better? what do you think of that option? or am i just wasting time?

Again, it's not that having "AMA member" on your resume will get you a residency. But if you join and get active, you'll have the opportunity to make the contacts and expand your horizons in such a way that - all other things being equal - you're a more competitive applicant.

If you don't have a chapter at your DO school, by all means start one.

 

[swtblubird]

What about SOMA??? Should I avoid them if I want to get into an MD residency? Or does it not matter? I guess because I'm a student, they were more attractive to my eye than AMA. $60 for all 4 years and a free netter's!

 

[UIC Killa]

What about SOMA??? Should I avoid them if I want to get into an MD residency? Or does it not matter? I guess because I'm a student, they were more attractive to my eye than AMA. $60 for all 4 years and a free netter's!

Thats it...i must have been fortunate at my school because we also got scrub pants, a free t-shirt, couple of cool highlighters, pens, and a bag of tylenol...i guess for the future headaches will get from studying...

 

[MaximusD]

I think I'm going to join the AMA for the JAMA. Think I'm going to join AMSA (and get involved), SOMA (for Netter's), and a few specialty clubs... just join what you want to join... not everything should be for the resume

 

[MossPoh]

I think I'm going to join the AMA for the JAMA. Think I'm going to join AMSA (and get involved), SOMA (for Netter's), and a few specialty clubs... just join what you want to join... not everything should be for the resume

Yes, the other clubs should be for the free crap. Only reason I joined various computing organizations!

 

[Old_Mil]

What about SOMA??? Should I avoid them if I want to get into an MD residency? Or does it not matter? I guess because I'm a student, they were more attractive to my eye than AMA. $60 for all 4 years and a free netter's!

Now there's an example of rational decision making...$200,000 for medical school, and slapping something on the deans letter that may be entirely unrelated to what you want to do in the future for a free $60 book. Not.

Join whatever you want, but keep in mind that for every year that you spend in medical school, you'll be spending 10 "out there" working.

 

[RockfordWF]

I have heard a few classmates and upperclassmen tell me that I should sign up for the AMA, especially if I might do a MD residency in the future. Is that true? Is it that important to have the AMA on your resume to land a MD residency, or is taking the USMLE and doing well in classes enough?

Concerned MSI

AMA is a waste of time.

Sign up for the specialty group for your MD residency.

(i.e. ACEP = American College of Emergency Physicians)

 

[misery]

Then I want my dues back because they are doing a $hitty job.

Just and interesting bit of trivia. I saw the other day that lawyers give on avg 3000 time more to lobbying organizations than do physicians. Though I agree with you JPH, that may be the reason.

 

[lastchanceDO]

i hear some of the administration do not look highly upon joining/ starting AMA in their DO schools.. haha, call me a chicken, but I dont' want to piss off the school I'm attending now..

I have heard of instances where people were 'blacklisted?' I hope this isn't true, but you never know...

 

[DrWBD]

Why would you start an AMA chapter at an osteopathic medical school? This is a slap in the face to our predecessors who kept the profession alive despite the best efforts of the AMA. The AMA took a very active role in trying to stamp out osteopathic medicine in the past, and embraces osteopathic physicians now only out of desperation, as their membership has plummeted compared to years past.

 

[harrypotter]

i hear some of the administration do not look highly upon joining/ starting AMA in their DO schools.. haha, call me a chicken, but I dont' want to piss off the school I'm attending now..

I have heard of instances where people were 'blacklisted?' I hope this isn't true, but you never know...

blacklisted from what?

 

[Old_Mil]

i hear some of the administration do not look highly upon joining/ starting AMA in their DO schools.. haha, call me a chicken, but I dont' want to piss off the school I'm attending now..

I have heard of instances where people were 'blacklisted?' I hope this isn't true, but you never know...

Blacklisted from what? Don't worry about anything like that. Just because a physician happens to have a DO degree instead of an MD degree shouldn't keep him or her from having access to the largest, most influential body of organized medicine in the nation.

Furthermore...if Rocky Vista is the first step in the "chiropracterization" of osteopathic medical schools, I'd highly recommend not only AMA membership, but having all three steps of the USMLE completed and board certification through your allopathic specialty organization to bolster one's professional resume.