Your first year of medical school is an important time to establish a strong foundation for the years that follow. While you’re developing a new normal, it helps to further equip yourself by learning about financial planning, exploring career options, establishing relationships with your advisor and peers, and more.

Visit the AAMC Financial Information, Resources, Services, and Tools (FIRST) program to develop a strategy for managing money while in medical school, applying for financial aid, and establishing a plan for repaying loans. To learn what you can or should do in your first year (and beyond) to set yourself on the path to a well-informed, well-reasoned specialty choice and smart residency application strategy, visit the AAMC Careers in Medicine® (CiM) website. 

Struggling to keep track of everything you need to do this year? 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?
Get involved in campus life.
Find a study group.
Subscribe to the AAMC Medical and Graduate Student Calendar to stay up to date on the latest dates and important deadlines for AAMC services, applications, and specialty-related events.
If you are a first-generation medical student, visit the AAMC Tools and Resources for First-Generation Medical School Students, an online toolkit for first-generation students as they navigate through medical training.
Read the Entering Medical School section of the AAMC FIRST Guide to Money Management and Loans and develop a strategy for managing money while in medical school, applying for financial aid, and establishing a plan for repaying loans.
Connect with your financial aid office for guidance on how to manage funds your first year and get any questions answered.
Attend financial aid related sessions offered by your school.
Create an account with AAMC Financial Wellness for access to hundreds of resources on how to manage financial life, including budgeting and financial basics.
Create or polish your curriculum vitae (CV).
Start exploring your career questions and goals with this orientation from CiM.
Attend career-oriented workshops offered by your school.
Work with your advisor to determine whether you’ll use your upcoming summer to gain some experience or to take a break (or both).
Search the Clinical and Research Opportunities Database for summer or year-round opportunities to gain some experience.
Use your upcoming summer to gain some experience, noting all application requirements and deadlines for the opportunities in which you’re interested.
Complete the Physician Values in Practice Scale (PVIPS) to help you clarify what is important to you in your career and how you want to practice medicine, regardless of which specialty you choose.
Complete the Medical Specialty Preference Inventory (MSPI). This assessment measures your interest in various tasks, activities, and experiences found in medicine, then suggests specialties for you to start exploring.
Complete the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) or the Keirsey Temperament Sorter to help you understand your personality type and receive a report explaining your type as it relates to the field of medicine.
Attend the AAMC Virtual Specialty Forum for early exposure to specialties and subspecialties you might not have yet heard of: Learn about transfer policies of U.S. medical schools.   What happens when you take a break from your medical education. Take summer makeup courses to stay on track.
View AAMC Webinars for Medical and Graduate Students to learn more about choosing your specialty, managing finances, and applying to residency programs later in medical school.

Coming soon!

Check back soon for a checklist of activities for Year 2 students.

Coming soon!

Check back soon for a checklist of activities for Year 3 students.

In your final year of medical school, you will finalize your residency application strategy, apply to and interview with programs, participate in the applicable matching services, and more. Find out everything you need to know about the residency application and match process, the best way to manage student loan debt, what to expect if you go unmatched, and easing into residency itself.   

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?
If you haven’t yet, take the USMLE Step 2 CK or the COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE.
Apply to and attend away rotations participating in the Visiting Student Learning Opportunities™ (VSLO®) program.
Meet with your financial aid office or attend a loan repayment session offered by your school to get more information on loan repayment options specific to your individual needs.
Review Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) Timelines for Residency Applicants.
Read what you need to know about the coming ERAS application season.
See the full list of specialties and programs that are participating in the ERAS program.
Review ERAS Tools and Worksheets for Residency Applicants.
Check out the MyERAS® Applicant User Guide for help in completing your application.
Register for helpful ERAS webinars.
Use the Residency Explorer™ tool to research programs that align with your career and personal goals.
Learn about program signaling and how you can use signals to show your interest to participating residency programs.
Finalize your list of residency programs to which you’ll apply.
Learn how to apply smart for residency and finalize your residency application strategy.
Finalize your application materials.
Submit your residency application materials to your chosen programs through the ERAS system or another application service, depending on the specialty.
Learn how to schedule for residency interviews, including how best to cancel.
Prepare and practice for interviews and review the AAMC's interview resources for residency applicants.
Schedule a mock interview with your advisor or student affairs office.
Learn about second look visits and how to accept, request, or decline these opportunities.
Monitor and keep your advisor informed of the number of interview invitations you receive.
Attend residency interviews and use the CiM Residency Program Evaluation Guide to create your personal review of each program.
Evaluate and compare residency programs using your Residency Program Evaluation Guide interview reviews and your Residency Preference Exercise profiles.
Develop a draft rank order list of all the programs you’re willing to attend.
Meet with your advisor to discuss how to rank all the programs you’re willing to attend.
Finalize your rank order list and submit it to the matching service for your specialty.
Learn about the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program® (SOAP®) in the event you go partially or fully unmatched.
If you’ve been notified that you’ve not secured residency training for your first postgraduate year (PGY1), collaborate with your advisor(s) and/or student affairs office to work through next steps.
If you’re without a residency position after SOAP concludes, work with your advisor(s) and/or student affairs office to explore your options.
Participate in your school’s Match Day ceremony and find out where you matched.
Sign the contract with your residency program.
Complete the AAMC Graduation Questionnaire (GQ).
Explore your loan repayment options by utilizing the MedLoans™ Organizer and Calculator (MLOC). In the MLOC you can upload your federal loan information, run repayment scenarios, and compare your loan repayment options.
Attend a session or workshop about transitioning to residency.
Attend a residency or specialty boot camp.
Prepare for residency with FIRST (Financial Information, Resources, Services, and Tools) with Financial Tips for Residents.
Ease into residency by learning about managing your finances, time, and life.
Graduate and transition to residency training.
Learn about Training in a Residency or Fellowship to find resources about debt management, career advancement, fellowship opportunities, and more.