Whether success in medical school means strengthening your leadership skills so your CV stands out or completing cutting-edge research while prepping for residency, the AMA has the resources you need.
Medical students who join the AMA enjoy exclusive member benefits and perks to help them personally and professionally on their road to residency. For example, AMA member medical students get a 10% discount on the AMBOSS Library subscription and the optional Qbank upgrade. They also get to select from a variety of free gifts when they join, including powerful study aids for the USMLE or COMLEX-USA tests.
But those benefits are just the tip of the iceberg. Here are four key areas where the AMA helps medical student members flourish in medical school and find the residency Match that fits their physician career aspirations.
Leadership
Medical students are uniquely positioned to become leaders, and the AMA can help. With more than 1,500 leadership opportunities, medical students can build their skills and distinguish themselves as resident candidates. Leadership positions including serving as a medical student member on the:
- AMA Board of Trustees.
- AMA Foundation board of directors.
- AMA Foundation Leadership Development Institute.
- AMPAC board of directors.
- LGBTQ+ Section
- Underrepresented in Medicine Advocacy Section (UMAS) Governing Council.
- Women Physicians Section Governing Council.
- Appointments to AMA councils.
In addition, medical students can serve to represent their classmates in the AMA Medical Student Section. Learn more now.
The AMA Medical Student Leadership Learning Series is a members-only resource that offers practical education to help medical students lead effectively. These 20-minute, interactive modules offer advice, realistic scenarios and printable resources to help medical students become skilled in core competencies of leadership.
Research
The AMA supports your research. Give your CV a major boost by doing research before applying for residency. Take advantage of our resources and programs that bring you from the basics all the way to our AMA Research Challenge, where you can compete for a $10,000 prize.
The AMA Research Challenge is the largest national, multi-specialty medical research conference for medical students, residents and international medical graduates (IMGs) to showcase and present research. This year, 1,400 abstracts were submitted across six topic areas and 1,000 abstracts with qualifying scores were accepted to the virtual poster symposium, and the semifinals took place Oct. 22–23. The top five scored semifinalists advanced to the finals, where they will present their research to a panel of judges who will announce the winner.
Details regarding the 2026 AMA Research Challenge will be announced this fall.
With the members-only AMA Research Education Series, you can learn how to conduct impactful research, craft compelling abstracts, enhance your presentation skills, publish your medical research and plan a career in academic medicine. Medical students can gain valuable tips from top experts and capitalize on research opportunities.
AMA members also can explore a range of peer-reviewed research and clinical information published by the JAMA Network™, which brings JAMA® together with JAMA Network Open and 11 specialty journals. Published continuously since 1883, JAMA is one of the most widely circulated, peer-reviewed, general medical journals in the world. If you are an AMA member or interested in becoming one, learn how to access these educational materials and innovative tools.
The subscription cost of JAMA is included with your AMA membership, plus unlimited digital access to all JAMA Network journals, including: JAMA, JAMA Network Open, JAMA Cardiology, JAMA Dermatology, JAMA Internal Medicine, JAMA Neurology, JAMA Oncology, JAMA Ophthalmology, JAMA Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, JAMA Pediatrics, JAMA Psychiatry, and JAMA Surgery.
The online journals include many helpful features for students, residents and fellows, including full-text PDFs, clinical challenges, archived editions, audio and video author interviews where authors give their perspectives on a study’s objectives, findings and implications.
Advocacy
Turn your passion into action. You can connect with nearly 52,000 AMA medical student members as you get hands-on experience advocating for change at the state and federal levels through trainings, meetings and events in Washington, D.C.—and online.
The AMA Medical Student Advocacy Conference is the AMA’s largest advocacy event and conference for medical students. It provides AMA member medical students with advocacy training, opportunities to network with their peers and a platform to raise their voice and enact changes in public health policy.
Medical students who attend the conference will:
- Learn how to be a successful public health advocate and advocate for change on health policy issues that affect medical students and physicians by attending in-person meetings with legislators on Capitol Hill.
- Gain leadership, communication and advocacy skills to distinguish yourself for residency.
- Connect with hundreds of medical students from across the country and build valuable professional connections while you develop your advocacy and leadership skills.
The AMA Medical Student Advocacy Conference will be held March 5–6, 2026. Learn more and register now.
AMA members also have access to complete medical student advocacy training anytime, anywhere with the AMA virtual advocacy training program. Learn more now.
AMA members also can join the AMA Medical Student Section, which is the medical students’ voice within the AMA, to discuss issues, advocate for the future of medicine, and influence policy of importance to medical students.
Match
The road to residency can be filled with unexpected twists and turns, and it’s natural to feel a little daunted. Take a deep breath. You’re not alone. Resources and strategies exist that can help you successfully create your plan for Match and beyond.
Learn more with the AMA about how to create your Match game plan, step by step.
With an AMA membership, medical students can take advantage of FREIDA™, the AMA Residency and Fellowship Database®. FREIDA lets you search for a residency or fellowship from more than 13,000 programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). You also get access to a members-only residency calculator and dashboard, where you can save, compare and rank programs.
In addition, the AMA Road to Residency Guide will help you successfully plan your path to residency, from researching programs and excelling at interviews to navigating Match Day and more.
