The information here is designed to assist you in planning Women in Medicine Month special events.
Planning the Event:
Identify your event's goal and budget. Break these goals down to their respective components, develop a work plan and a timeline for when things should be done. Remember: activities can be limited to one day, one week, a particular day each week, or whatever is best for you or your ogranization during the month of September. The important thing is to plan early.
Deciding on an activity. Review the different types of activities below, or use your own ideas to select the one(s) that fit with your organization, goals, and budget.
Ways to Celebrate:
Networking Meal Function. What better way to acknowledge professional accomplishments and encourage solidarity than to share a meal together. Start an annual event, hosted by the hospital and/or medical society. Build on the Women in Medicine Month theme with table tent signs and banners proclaiming September is Women in Medicine Month.
Honor/Recognize Women Physicians. Is there one or more who deserve special recognition for their dedication to the medical profession? Someone who is a mentor to and role model for students and residents? Ask your organization to consider creating an award in honor of the professional dedication of a women physician(s) or highlighting women physician achievements in a monthly newsletter or journal.
Special Programs. Some organizations use this month to provide a special educational or informational program for their women physicians. Educational programs can focus on public health or women's professional issues, or on topics of special interest to women physicians in your organization or area. Some hospitals offer a series of luncheon sessions once a week in September given in honor of women physicians who work in the community.
Community Service. Provide speakers to local schools on medical topics or careers in medicine for women. Develop an award for outstanding women physicians in local community service. Sponsor a "walk for women's health" event.
Newsletters/Other Activities. Devote your September medical society newsletter, Web site home page or journal to women in medicine issues. Consider having special Women in Medicine Month brochures for patients on women's health issues. Give out special prescription pads, note pads, pens or other items celebrating Women in Medicine Month.
Postal Plate. Ask the mailroom personnel at your hospital, clinic and medical society to add a postal plate on all outgoing mail proclaiming September Women in Medicine Month.
Proclamations. Write to your local elected official, mayor, senator, and governor to officially proclaim September as Women in Medicine Month in your state, town or district. In addition to an official proclamation, the elected official can hold a press conference to recognize a woman physician in your area and/or dedicate an official day to that special physician.
Record a Special Outgoing Message. Create an outgoing message on your office answering machine or voice mail that tells callers it's Women in Medicine Month. Ask your hospital, clinic, medical school, state society and specialty society to do the same.
Remember: You do not have to do something complex to commemorate the month. Making time to go out to dinner with colleagues or taking time to talk to a few women medical students are all ways to take part.
Content provided by: Women Physicans Congress