(1119) Medical Student Involvement With AAO-HNS Compared to National Specialty and Subspecialty Organizations

Introduction: American specialty medical organizations play a pivotal role in shaping their respective fields, disseminating information on contemporary issues, and nurturing the future generation of physicians. The extent of student engagement in these organizations varies. Our objective was to compare student opportunities in subspecialty organizations with that of the American Academy of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS).

Methods: Using specialties listed on the AAMC website, an exhaustive internet search was utilized to determine national organizations associated with each specialty. Search terms included the specialty of interest along with “national society,” “academy,” or “association.” Certain subspecialties did not have a specific organization or were represented by a larger specialty group. Information regarding student memberships including the presence of a medical student committee (either allowing medical students to serve on committees or a committee composed of medical students), student activities (such as networking opportunities, courses, research opportunities), mentorship programs, and student membership cost were collected.

Results: In total, 117 organizations were analyzed. Of them, 80 (68.4%) had student memberships. Among those with student memberships, 40 (50%) had mentorship programs, 63 (78.8%) had student activities, and 11 (13.8%) had a medical student committee. Mean cost for student membership was $20.79 (range $0-$120), with 48 (60%) groups providing free membership. Of the 11 organizations with a medical student committee, mean cost of membership was $24.45 (range $0-$65) with 4 groups offering free membership and 7 groups with mentorship programs. The AAO-HNS does not have a student committee, but has student activities and mentorship programs with student membership costing $30.

Conclusions: Many medical specialty national organizations do not have medical student committees, including AAO-HNS. Students would benefit from participating on committees to better understand the landscape of their desired specialty along with contributing to the specialty community.