AMA offers students, residents a head start in medicine

It is hard to believe that the summer is over, a new class of medical students are well into their first year, and resident physicians are getting used to their longer coats. And while treatment protocols and procedures have evolved and showcase the best of American medicine, so, too, has the AMA evolved to help the youngest members of our profession enjoy long and successful careers.

It should come as no surprise to physicians who have been a part of the American Medical Association since their medical school days that the AMA Medical Student Section offers many opportunities to become involved (link).

At the chapter level, students often band together to provide health screenings at local health fairs. This offers students good exposure to the community -- and to the fact that patients look to physicians for answers, but that those answers require give and take, listening and follow-up questions. Students who choose to become more active find themselves partnering with the AMA to support the AMA-MSS National Service Project, which now is focused on the AMA Healthier Life Steps Program.

Most recently, the NSP played a key role in helping the AMA increase awareness of the nation's uninsured (link).

In no small part, the Association is at the table in Washington, D.C., because medical students were committed to the principle that all Americans should have high-quality, affordable health care -- and medical students encouraged the AMA to embrace a national campaign with the energy and enthusiasm that is indicative of our youngest members.

The NSP is just one way to become involved. The Succeeding in Medical School program is now in its fifth year to provide the tools and contacts medical students need to succeed (link).

This program sends an AMA student leader to selected schools to provide first- and second-year medical students with an overview of the AMA, local/chapter involvement opportunities, career tips and how to manage life during medical school. It's the type of mentoring I wish had been there for me in medical school.

This is the type of mentoring you can help with as well. MSS local chapters frequently are looking for physicians to serve as advisers or speakers for their programs. The AMA Web site can put you in touch with leaders near you (link).

We don't stop there. We also help medical students with resources ranging from the online "Learn the Brachial Plexus in Five Minutes or Less," to discounted licensing exam test prep materials, to FREIDA Online, to the very practical Physicians-in-Training Host Program, which gives medical students an opportunity to stay in homes of AMA Alliance members while traveling for their residency interviews. Medical student members also can compete for the highly prized Government Relations Advocacy Fellowship (link).

Or they might win a spot in the popular Government Relations Internship Program (link).

Residents can continue their AMA involvement by participating in the AMA Resident and Fellows Section in many ways. Each year, the AMA-RFS sponsors its Research Poster Symposium to give residents the chance to display original work among peers and compete for cash prizes and a trip to the AMA-RFS Meeting (link).

Abstracts may be submitted for poster presentation in one of four categories: clinical medicine, basic research, medical education or health policy, and clinical vignettes. This year, residents also can present their research or clinical vignette in an oral, podium competition.

And because we know how busy residents are, we have developed easy-to-use resources to help make the residency years smoother and assist residents as they transition into practice. Starting with the comprehensive "Succeeding From Medical School to Practice," we also offer materials to better understand "Residency Vacancies and Work Environment," and guides for exploring "International Opportunities during Residency."

In addition, many residents have participated in our AMA-sponsored Introduction to the Practice of Medicine Pilot Program. This project initially was developed with the Ohio State Medical Assn. and The Ohio State University to assist programs and residents in meeting their ACGME Core Competencies. The residents are able to complete more than 20 online modules at a time and place convenient for them.

There are many other ways for medical students and residents to benefit from becoming involved in the AMA, and we strive to provide the resources and tools they need -- online, in-person, and always with their interests front and center.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not highlight the importance of student and resident involvement to the AMA House of Delegates, the councils and the Board of Trustees. Just as the human body could not survive without "new blood" circulating through our organs, our profession cannot survive without our student and resident members.

In fact, some of the most important advances in medical education and training have come as a direct result of medical student and resident influence in nudging the AMA to take certain public health and health policy positions, ranging from the ban on smoking in airplanes in the 1980s to the AMA's Voice for the Uninsured Campaign. In addition, the AMA board has been fortunate to have a number of alumni from the MSS and RFS leadership. It has made us smarter, more resilient and more receptive to the needs of the nation's students and residents.

We continue to listen, and we are always open to new ideas.