Family Medicine Activities & Opportunities
The Department of Family Medicine provides lunches each semester to a primary audience of pre-clerkship students but all students are welcome to attend. Ms. Tracy Pavone emails announcements with the date, time and location of the lunches and invites students to sign-up to attend on a first to respond basis. Speakers present for about 20-25 minutes on a topic relevant to the specialty and students’ questions and open discussion are highly encouraged. Our goal is to provide students with an appreciation of the scope of practice of the specialty and the professional opportunities available in family medicine.
Every Tuesday afternoon our department has a Grand Rounds presentation during the lunch hour followed by a series of teaching sessions and workshops. The afternoon sessions run until about 4:30 pm and are generally held in the 3 North classroom in the hospital. Students are welcome to join us for a session or to spend the afternoon. If you get the itch to do so please email Tracy Pavone and she will forward you the schedule for the day. In the future, we are working on getting this information up on the department website.
The GSP is a mentoring and scholarship program focused on the development of student leaders who intend to pursue a career in primary care. A series of educational talks are held during the lunch hour throughout the year. All medical students are welcome to attend these presentations to learn more about primary care. If you are interested in participating please email Mrs. Dela Alexander, Program Coordinator so that arrangements can be made. You are also welcome to speak with one of our Generalist Scholars students about upcoming talks. A series of additional events are offered each year during Primary Care week as well.
Every year our department hosts a session on “How to Shine During Your Interview.” This is a casual forum for you to get some advice from our faculty and residents about putting your best foot forward on the interview trail. We are happy to answer both general as well as specific questions. We generally meet for an hour around 5:00 pm in the afternoon and serve a snack and beverages for attendees to enjoy.
This conference is sponsored by the Family Medicine Educational Consortium (FMEC), a fairly new organization that is supporting some pretty interesting programs. The conference is another great opportunity to catch a glimpse of the specialty of Family Medicine. There are numerous scholarships available that essentially mean that students who receive the scholarship need only pay for transportation there and back as well as food. The scholarships cover the cost of registration and a hotel room. A link to the FMEC website is below. If you have any questions or are interested in applying for one of the scholarships to attend the conference please follow the instructions listed on the website and let Tracy Pavone know by email that you would like to participate. If we have a group of students planning on attending we will try and help work out a carpooling arrangement.
http://www.fmec.net/
One of the best ways to really get a feel for a specialty is to attend a conference. The VAFP hosts a continuing medical education conference for its practicing physician, resident and student members every winter at the Wintergreen Resort. This is a great time to meet practicing family physicians from across the Commonwealth and to do a little learning in a resort environment. The Department of Family Medicine covers the student registration fees for a limited number of students to attend every year and there are deeply discounted (sometimes free) housing options available for students. There are also various social events and fun winter activities to participate in over the weekend. If you are interested in attending please email Ms. Tracy Pavone, Student Programs Coordinator.
This annual conference for both students and residents allows attendees to experience the vision of family medicine and to be surrounded by people who are passionate about the specialty. It’s an opportunity to discover the scope of practice offered in the specialty through discussion groups and main stage sessions. Attendees may choose to play a role in influencing AAFP policy through the Student Congress or hone their skills in procedural workshops as well as other educational sessions. It’s also an opportunity for you to get a jump-start on the Match by visiting with residency programs from across the country – not that there is any reason to look beyond Virginia! There are some limited funds available from the department of family medicine to offset the cost of attendance. To be eligible for these departmental funds students must have applied for and been declined a scholarship from the AAFP.
Our department has a tradition of hosting a reception to honor our school of medicine graduates that have chosen to pursue a career in family medicine. It’s a great opportunity
to speak with the graduating students about their journey and how they made their decision. It is also a great opportunity to meet some of the UVA faculty and of course, celebrate your colleagues’ successes in a relaxed atmosphere. The reception is traditionally held at the home of Dr. Karen Maughan on a weekend day in March or April. Heavy hors d’ oeuvres, wine, beer, and other beverages are served. Attendance is by invitation only. If you are interested in learning more about the event, please contact Dr. Sean Reed.