Participating in clinical experiences can be fun. You get to discover a new medical specialty, meet new people, progress in your medical education, and explore a new location. The only thing that could make rotating more enjoyable is sharing the experience with someone else—or multiple people. At AMOpportunities, we have many rotations that offer more than one seat each month, which makes sharing your clinical experience possible.
In the past, we’ve had visitors rotate with family members, friends, and classmates. Even when these individuals didn’t have the same medical specialty interests, we were able to find them rotations located in the same hospital or city, allowing them to share their travels without sacrificing their medical education.
Continue reading below for the benefits of group rotations and how to move forward with scheduling one!
Why You Should Rotate with a Group
Rotating with a group can help you save money, increase your confidence, and make for an enjoyable experience. The first way you can save when rotating with others is by requesting a group discount. Discounts will vary based on the timing of your rotation, the experiences reserved, and the size of your group. You can also save money when rotating with others by sharing housing, transportation, and meals.
If you plan to rotate in the U.S. rather than online, rotating with others means you won’t be traveling alone. You can explore your rotation location with greater confidence and safety. On a similar note, you may be more likely to go sightseeing and try new things.
How to Schedule a Group Experience
1.Create Individual AMO Accounts
The first step toward a clinical experience is for everyone to create an AMO account. Creating an account is free and takes just a few moments. Your AMO account will allow you to explore 250+ clinical experiences and submit applications to those that align with your interests. You’ll also gain access to resources that can help you prepare for your rotation and the remainder of your medical education.
Individual accounts are required for every group member as applications and payments are submitted and processed individually.
2.Determine Individual and Group Preferences
After you’ve all created accounts, decide which medical specialties you’re all interested in, where you would like to rotate—be it online or in person, and which month is best for everyone in the group.
We recommend those planning group clinical experiences do so 4-6 months before their desired rotation month. Because there are more individuals to account for, coordinating the experience(s) may require more work, time, and collaboration. Failure to plan this far in advance may result in limited rotated availability and issues with obtaining visas or meeting enrollment deadlines.
On a similar note, the earlier you reserve your rotation, the earlier you can book additional items like airfare and housing. These items generally increase in price as the flight and stay dates approach. Planning your rotation earlier rather than later is an economical move.
3.Explore Programs Labeled ‘Good for Groups’
If you and those you’re rotating with have similar medical interests, you may consider filtering for group clinical experiences on our search platform with the ‘Good for Groups’ tag. Experiences with this label offer more than one seat each month. If you find that even these experiences do not have enough seats available, our advisors may be able to request additional seats on behalf of your group. To make this request, our team asks that your group submit a small deposit. If the request for additional seats is denied, your deposit can be refunded or you may choose to put towards a different clinical experience.
Explore ‘Good for Group’ Experiences >
4.Connect with an Advisor
We have a team of AMO Advisors in place to manage group clinical experiences. If your group is ready to apply for and reserve their experiences, our advisors can double-check that everything is aligned. If your group is struggling to find the right experience—one that fits all schedules and interests—our advisors can provide recommendations.
When your group begins speaking with our advisors, we ask that you assign one person as the main point of contact. During their initial conversation with the advisor, this individual should provide the email addresses of each group member’s AMO account. Following this conversation, our advisor can set up a WhatsApp group or forward emails to keep all members informed. To get in touch with an advisor, email advisor@amopportunities.org or schedule a phone call below!
5. Reserve Your Experiences
Once your whole group has their applications accepted, you all must reserve your seats as soon as possible. Submitting a deposit for your rotation reserves your seat and ensures other interested medical trainees cannot fill it. If an individual within the group fails to reserve their experience and is filled by someone else, they will miss out on the group clinical experience.
