We want to help you understand how to best pick your medical career.
The Student Affairs Office is committed to helping medical students explore specialty areas and make career choices. It is our goal to help students assess personal interests and values to help identify a specialty that will be a “good fit.”
Several resources are available to students:
- AAMC Careers in Medicine website: www.aamc.org/cim/
This site provides specialty-specific descriptions of the type of work, salary ranges, training requirements, match information, and much more. - Specialty-specific student organizations
There are more than 35 SOM specialty affiliation student organizations. Click here for more information. - Medical specialty fair
In the spring semester, physicians from TTUHSC and the community come together to discuss specialties and answer questions in a small group/round table setting. - Career advisors
Year 3 students are assigned clinical faculty advisors based on student interest. Advisors provide individualized guidance about pursuing a successful match. - Personal meetings with the Dean/Regional Dean
Each Year 3 student will be scheduled to meet with the Dean or Regional Dean to discuss career goals and ways to accomplish them. 
Class meetings- Visiting Student Application Service – This AAMC service assists students with applying for “away” rotations during Year 4.
- “Match with Success” Residency Fair – Offered for Year 3 students from all campuses to review the residency application process and receive recommendations for a successful match.
- Review of residency application/match process – Meetings are held to examine NRMP data from the year’s match.
- Campus-specific opportunities:
- Amarillo – Brown bag lunch series – faculty mentors
- Permian Basin – Faculty advisors – Matching with Year 4 students pursuing specific specialties
- Regional campus students can be referred to Lubbock faculty for certain specialties
(Dermatology, Ophthalmology, and Orthopaedics)
- Mock residency interviews scheduled through Student Affairs
- SOM-specific, specialty-based match data for past three class years
- Database of recent alumni that provides contact information, specialty, and program match
Late Year 3/Early Year 4
Each student is required to have at least one in-person meeting with the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs (Lubbock) or the Regional Assistant Dean (Amarillo and Permian Basin) to review a personalized residency application strategy. Factors considered in developing an individualized strategy include:
- Student’s relative competitiveness for preferred specialty match (generally)
- Competitiveness for specific training programs within preferred specialty
- Preferred region of the country to complete residency training
- Prior success rate for TTUHSC SOM students in matching to a given specialty/training program.
Students also receive residency application recommendations from their specialty specific
faculty advisor(s).We want you to succeed! If you have more questions, contact the Office of Student Affairs at 806-743-3005.