Importance of Specialty Interest Groups for Matching

[ready2go]

Hello! I am currently in first year and I have been seeing many Specialty Interest Groups recruiting exec members...the thing is I have no idea what specialty I want to do. So the thing I am wondering is how important is being part of an interest group if I want to match to a competitive specialty (eg. ob/gyn, peds, ophthalmology)? And what if I join an interest group and then later want to do another specialty, will it hurt my chances (ie. what if i am an exec on an ophthalmology interest group but then apply to OB/GYN programs on carms)?

Would really appreciate some insight here as I don't know what I am doing

[gangliocytoma]

It really doesn't matter. What being an exec in an interest group may do is to help you network and meet staff and residents in those programs (although given COVID with everything over zoom I don't know if it'll be as valuable of a networking experience). That's likely where all the benefit comes from. Programs know people change their minds. Keep in mind there are other ways to network.

Also you can tailor your CV to the specialty you are applying for.

[LostLamb]

zero influence on matching.

just another thing to list on your cv. 

[StudentInMedicine]

Kind of as a flip question, could membership in an interest group harm your chances of matching if for instance a year or two later you decide that you actually want a different specialty?

[TabulaRasa]

On 9/18/2020 at 7:52 PM, StudentInMedicine said:

Kind of as a flip question, could membership in an interest group harm your chances of matching if for instance a year or two later you decide that you actually want a different specialty?

No, we really don't care.