Your second year is the optimal time to explore specialty and practice options while continuing to reflect on your interests, values, and skills/abilities in relation to these options and fill in gaps in your experience.
Use this checklist to track your progress. Note: Some resources on this page are part of the AAMC Careers in Medicine® (CiM) program. Most U.S. and Canadian students have access to CiM. Confirm your access.
| Task | Complete? |
|---|---|
| Access the Guide to Money Management and Student Loans to understand and plan for expenses unique to Year 2. Connect with your financial aid office for guidance and support. | |
| Reflect on any professional development experiences you participated in (e.g., research, externships) during your summer/academic break and how that contributed to your understanding of yourself and your specialty options. | |
| Learn how to efficiently, systematically, and strategically research and evaluate specialties and practice options. Then speak with your advisor to determine your next steps. | |
| Familiarize yourself with the myriad specialty and practice options by reviewing specialty profiles, reading specialty spotlights, and learning about the wide variety of settings, environments, and other aspects of practice available in medicine. | |
| Once you’re familiar with the range of specialty and practice options available, gain further experience through conducting informational interviews with and shadowing physicians. | |
| Participate in cocurricular experiences — such as specialty interest groups, specialty panels, student organizations, and regional and national medical societies and organizations — to network and learn more about specialty options. | |
| If preceptorships are part of your curriculum, use these experiences for self-reflection to further understand your interests, values, and skills. | |
| Search for opportunities for clinical, research, or other experience that will allow you to further explore specialties and practice options. | |
| Utilize the CiM Compare Specialties tool to compare up to three specialties side-by-side. | |
| If possible, begin narrowing your list of specialty options by ruling out individual or groups of specialties that lack the content and attributes you enjoy. | |
| Learn about licensing exams and their role in your medical education, residency candidacy, and career options, including understanding the costs and when you'll need to register and pay for the exams. | |
| If applicable, work with your advisor to plan your third-year schedule. | |
| Attend the AAMC/CiM Specialty Forum for early exposure to specialties and subspecialties you might not yet heard of. |