Internal Medicine Interest Group of the Month: The School of Medicine and Dentistry at University of Rochester Medical Center
The Internal Medicine Interest Group (IMIG) at the University of Rochester may only be in its eleventh year of existence, but has grown by leaps and bounds and is now one of the most active student groups on campus. The purpose of IMIG at Rochester is mainly to introduce first and second year students to the wide array of opportunities available through the specialty of internal medicine. In the spirit of the biopsychosocial model professed at the U of R, our group strives to make students aware of the social and economic factors that impact the practice of internal medicine in our evolving health care system. Our events reflect these goals by exposing students to different subspecialties of internal medicine, as well as innovations in the delivery of health care.
Our IMIG is currently run by four second-year medical students, and each year in the spring first years are recruited to learn about how the club is run. They take over the leadership responsibilities during the fall of their second year. This system creates continuity and commitment to our goals as a group.
In the past, IMIG has solely focused on lunch talks with attendings from various subspecialties. Although we have continued this tradition, we have also implemented unique opportunities for students to interact with internal medicine physicians in a more casual social environment. Our kickoff event for the year was a faculty-student mixer at the dean's house, which had never been done before. Dr. David Lambert is not only the dean of medical education at Rochester, but he also serves as our co-advisor, along with Dr. Debra Ogie, a hospitalist at Strong Memorial Hospital. Our goal for this event was to establish a casual setting in which first and second years could share their career and research interests with physicians who each have their unique stories about what drew them to their specialty. Physicians who attended the event were both leaders in their fields and eager to discuss their experiences with students. Students who attended the event were enthralled by the variety of interesting and virtually limitless opportunities available in internal medicine. It is no coincidence that, after this event, attendance at subsequent talks was considerably higher than in the past because of the interest generated. We hope to continue this event for many years to come.
We have also continued the tradition of hosting Friday lunch talks to introduce students to internal medicine subspecialties to which we do not have much exposure in the first two years. For example, physicians in pulmonary/critical care, endocrinology, and cardiology were given the opportunity to highlight their career fields to inquisitive students. In each of these talks, students were able to ask questions about other aspects of the specialty, such as lifestyle and research opportunities. Another talk was given by Dr. Donald Bordley, the internal medicine residency director, who shed light on what an IM residency entails and what they look for in an applicant, including board scores, grades, recommendations, etc. This was very informative for first and second years who were confused about what is involved in the match process and how they can bolster their application throughout medical school.
In order to promote the biopsychosocial model espoused at Rochester, we have also sponsored talks that describe innovations in this arena of medicine, namely in primary care. Our most recent talk focused on the Patient-Centered Medical Home was given by the chief of General Medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital. This is a recent initiative being undertaken by select primary care offices throughout the country and may revolutionize preventive medicine and the quality and continuity of care.
Co-leaders:
Nicole Altorelli - 2013
Email: nicole_altorelli@urmc.rochester.edu
Travis O'Brien - 2013
Matthew Brockway - 2013
Howard Lin - 2013