Medical Student Perspectives: Internal Medicine 2011 Preview
Hello from the Council of Student Members!
I hope you can join us at the San Diego Convention Center on April 7-9 for Internal Medicine 2011, ACP's annual national scientific meeting. This year's event promises to be a great opportunity to learn and get together with fellow medical students and medical professionals. If you can go, you will probably want to start thinking about the meeting and what will be going on there. Here are some ideas to get you started.
If this is the first time you are coming to an Internal Medicine meeting, then welcome! If you are an old hand at the meetings, I hope your experience is even better than last year's at Internal Medicine 2010 in Toronto.
As you know, the meeting starts bright and early on Thursday. Lots of things are going on throughout the day and night, therefore it may be useful to check out the daily planner to help figure it out.
Some events I wanted to highlight of particular interest to
students are:
- The Herbert Waxman Clinical Skills Center. The skills center fills up fast, so I strongly recommend checking it out and signing up for anything you are interested in early during the meeting.
- Winners of the ACP Abstract Competitions will present their work from the podium at special lunchtime events. A boxed lunch will be provided to all attendees. The Associate Abstract Competition Presentations will be held on Thursday and the Medical Student Abstract Luncheon will be held on Saturday.
- The ACP Abstract Competitions finalists will compete in poster competitions throughout the meeting. The Associate Poster Competitions take place on Thursday and Friday and Medical Student Poster Competitions take place on Saturday.
- Four special educational courses have been developed especially for medical students: Ethical Dilemmas for Medical Students; Focusing your CV for your Audience; Mastering the Match; and Stump the Professor.
- Doctor's Dilemma™ is a Jeopardy-style program where residents can showcase their knowledge of internal medicine. Rounds will be taking place on Thursday and Friday and the championship game is held during the closing ceremony of the meeting. Always an exciting event!
- The Medical Student Mentoring Breakfast is held on Saturday morning. This is an opportunity for students to meet with internal medicine program directors from throughout the country. For a ticket visit www.acponline.org/meetings/internal_medicine/2011/attendees/special_events.htm.
- The Medical Student-Associate-Young Physician Hospitality Room is a great place to meet medical students during the meeting and a place where you are likely to find representatives from the Council of Student Members. We will be wearing blue ribbons during the meeting, so if you see one of us, please feel free to say hi and touch base with us at the meeting. We can plan informal get-togethers in the evenings as well.
- Your Chapter's Reception is another event that can be very enjoyable and a great opportunity to meet fellow ACP leaders from your state. These usually take place on Friday evening, but check the final program to make sure when and where it is going to be held.
- The Medical Student, Associate, and Young Physician Recognition Reception will be held on Saturday night to recognize the winners of the abstract competitions and the winner of ACP's Doctor's Dilemma™ Championship.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Cedar Fowler
Chair, Council of Student Members
Tufts University School of Medicine, 2015
E-mail: cedar.fowler@gmail.com