Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG)
Student Involvement & Retention
FMIG Membership and Student Involvement
Historically being one of the smaller student interest groups on our campus, our main focus these past few years has been to expand our membership so that we could have the man-power to later institute larger events and programs. UCLA FMIG membership is open to any UCLA medical student who wants to join. Our main efforts lay in getting students to attend and become involved in our events and activities. The fundamental mantra we have successfully followed this year is, "If you feed them, they will come", thus obtaining funding has played a key part in our success. Another way we have done this is by holding class-specific events, such as our preceptorship talk for the 1st year class, and also by making leadership positions available to 1st year students. These types of class-focused activities have allowed us to enjoy unprecedented growth. Traditionally at UCLA, a heavily research-oriented institution, our FMIG was composed mostly of a relatively small number of dedicated 3rd and 4th year students with limited 2nd year and virtually no 1st year involvement. This year we have managed to heavily target participation from the 1st and 2nd year classes, as it is from here that our sizeable growth has primarily come from. Our group has grown so much that our attendance has actually surpassed traditionally popular interest groups, such as the Surgery Interest Group. Although now the majority of meetings are attended by 1st and 2nd year medical students, due to logistical reasons, FMIG still strives to interest upper classmen into participating in FMIG activities, as well. Dinner meetings are held periodically in lieu of lunch meetings to accommodate for the 3rd and 4th years to return from their respective rotations. FMIG also works with the Primary Care College (group of 4th year students pursuing a career in primary care) to give them credit for attending dinner seminars, which is required for graduation. The topics for the dinner seminars are selected based on popular demand, such as a dinner titled "Applying to the Family Medicine Residency."
2006-2007 Events
"Care of Uninsured Week"Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Our 2006-07 FMIG board kicked off their year by hosting a lunch lecture about caring for the uninsured. A panel of three speakers from the school of public health, the department of Family Medicine and the California Endowment compared recent advances in healthcare legislation in Massachusetts and proposals pending in California. This event was attended by over 75 medical students.
"Introduction to FMIG"Wednesday, August 30, 2006
In late August, the Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) held its first meeting to welcome the incoming first-year class and provide them with an introduction to FMIG. FMIG faculty advisor Dr. Susan Stangl had the pleasure of presenting an overview of Family Medicine, and Primary Care College Chair Dr. Felix Horng provided insight into additional Family Medicine opportunities. During the second half of the meeting FMIG Co-President Scott Nass discussed the benefits of joining FMIG and outlined the schedule of future FMIG meetings and events. Food was served and the meeting was open to all years. The event turned out to be a success with an attendance of more than 100 students.
"Los Angeles AIDS Walk"Sunday, October 15. 2006
On Sunday, 15 students from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA walked together in the Los Angeles AIDS Walk as the UCLA School of Medicine Team. This event is Southern California's largest fundraising event and benefits AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) and other outstanding local AIDS service organizations across Los Angeles County. This year, more than 26,000 people walked the 10-kilometer (6.2 mile) route through West Hollywood and raised $3.2 million dollars. The UCLA Team was able to raise $1270 through the support of classmates and family members.
"National Primary Care Week"November 14-16, 2006
Day 1: "Failure of our Healthcare System and How Primary Care Can Help"
An interactive talk with Dr. Patrick Dowling, chair of the Department of Family Medicine at UCLA, about the state of healthcare in the United States, as well as what primary care physicians can do to advocate for their patients' well-being. Students were encouraged to participate as well as bring ideas from other healthcare systems around the country, discussing these programs' successes and failures. Food was served and over 70 students attended each day!
Day 2: "Women's Health and Contraception"
An interactive presentation conducted by Dr. Denise Sur, Director of Santa Monica-UCLA Family Practice Residency program and Assistant Clinical Professor. Dr. Sur provided an update on the currently used classes of contraception, as well as their application and indications. One student commented: "It was so refreshing to have this very clinically relevant topic finally brought into the open, and to actually see the used forms of contraception...I never knew what many of these devices were about!" Food was served and over 60 students attended.
Day 3: "Tar Wars: The Battle Against Smoking"
This was the introductory meeting for Tar Wars, the national campaign sponsored by AAFP to educate students about being tobacco-free and encouraging them to make positive decisions regarding their health. We introduced our plan to launch Tar Wars at Jefferson Elementary School during this academic year and recruited student participants. Food was served and 30 students attended.
"Summer Opportunities"Thursday, January 18, 2007
This lunchtime session was held to inform the first-year medical students about the various opportunities that are available to students during their summer break including non-UCLA programs and the UCLA Family Medicine summer programs. The Family Medicine Interest Group encourages students to expand their knowledge of family medicine related issues such as the problems that underserved communities face, the disparities of the health care system, and how community medicine differs from other types of medicine. FMIG believes that the basic science research encouraged by UCLA, although important, limits students' ability to learn about such issues.
Since many students are unaware of the vast number of opportunities that are available locally, nationally and internationally, this year FMIG compiled a large database with numerous work and volunteer options for students during the summer. The database, posted on our website, includes clinical/basic science research opportunities locally and nationally, clinical experiences locally and nationally and international opportunities. The meeting was started with a discussion of how to navigate through the database and how to decide which opportunity is best for each student. During the second half of the meeting, there was a discussion of the different types of summer programs offered by the UCLA Family Medicine Department. Our Family Medicine program director and family medicine research advisors spoke to students about the various UCLA Family Medicine summer programs which include public health projects, community outreach, various family medicine clinical research opportunities, and extensive preceptor/shadowing experiences available over the summer.
"AAFP Membership Drive and Family Medicine Mixer"March 19, 2007
To encourage interaction among Family Medicine residents and forth year students planning to go into family medicine along with all first-, second-, and third-year medical students, FMIG hosted a social mixer at a local Mexican restaurant. This gave the medical students a chance to ask questions about family medicine to upperclassman and residents, learn about family medicine residency programs, and make connections with people with similar interests. FMIG also took this opportunity to encourage students to sign up for AAFP membership by giving raffle tickets and prizes to students who signed up for a membership that night. As a result, our chapter secured many new memberships to AAFP. Food and non-alcoholic beverages were provided by FMIG for all attendees.
"FMIG Elections / Applying to Residency Programs"
Our last meeting of the year serves two functions. FMIG members select the new officers for the upcoming year and our senior advisors provide information and advice on the residency match process. The match and application process are de-mystified in this meeting and tips on success are given by 4th year students who recently ventured through the process. From resume pointers to interview etiquette, members are educated about how to navigate through the application process and ultimately achieve their residency of choice.
"Shoulder Dystocia Workshop"May 18, 2007Sponsored by Whittier-PIH Residency Program
The Wittier-PIH Residency program will join us on May 18th to lead a hands-on workshop on shoulder dystocias. All participants will have an opportunity to practice the specific maneuvers and techniques involved in these emergency deliveries. The students will also learn about the new tropical medicine residency program being offered through Whittier- PIH and interact with faculty and residents from the program.