For Medical Students

Students have more chances to do rotations abroad

With medical education placing more importance on international electives, medical students today have more opportunities to pursue clinical and research elective rotations abroad.

For example, the Ochsner Health System in New Orleans and the University of Queensland Medical School in Brisbane, Australia, are collaborating on the University of Queensland School of Medicine Clinical School at Ochsner. Through the program, U.S. medical students can complete two years of pre-clinical training in Australia and their third- and fourth-year training in the United States.

Meanwhile, the Association of American Medical Colleges is piloting a new program to help facilitate educational exchanges for medical students. The Global Health Learning Opportunities program is a Web-based health education exchange service that connects first-year medical students with clinical and research elective rotations.

These programs are just two of the many initiatives and activities in which medical education is thinking globally rather than just locally. Read more in the latest edition of AMA MedEd Update, the AMA's monthly e-newsletter covering medical education.

Apply for a media rotation with the Discovery Channel by next week

AMA member medical students, residents and fellows are invited to apply for the AMA/Discovery Channel elective, an exclusive opportunity to translate rigorous scientific data into an entertaining and informational program.

During the elective, one medical student and one resident/fellow will work to develop a medical education program that will air on the Discovery Channel. The student and resident/fellow will work primarily at Discovery Communications headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., but also will travel to relevant on-site and studio shoots for the program. A stipend of $3,000 will be provided to cover living expenses.

Dates and length of the rotation are flexible. Applications are due March 15.

If you're not an AMA member, join today.

Submit a programming idea for next AMA-MSS meeting

Do you have an idea for a forum that could be part of this year's AMA Medical Student Section (MSS) Annual Assembly Meeting? Share your ideas with the AMA-MSS and help develop the programming for the meeting, which will take place June 14–16 in Chicago.

Ideas are due March 30. If you have questions, email Raymond Tsai and Grayson Armstrong, speakers of the AMA-MSS Governing Council, or email the AMA-MSS.

Visit the meeting Web page for details about registration and upcoming deadlines for convention committees, resolutions and leadership position applications.

Enjoy savings on USMLE, COMLEX prep guides

Are you prepared to score high on the upcoming United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) or Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX)? AMA members receive discounts of up to 25 percent off the list price on medical student resources such as First Aid for the USMLE and First Aid for the COMLEX. Visit the AMA Bookstore to take advantage of these discounts.

Don't miss out on valuable resources for AMA members. Renew your membership or join the AMA today to begin to take advantage of them.

Last chance: Cast your vote in Take a Trip with Timmy Global Health contest

Help your colleagues work to ensure that patients in Guatemala, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic have access to quality health care by voting in the Take a Trip with Timmy Global Health contest. Through the contest, two residents, medical students, allied health students or pre-med students will spend two to three weeks with medical professionals working to expand health care access in those countries.

During the past few months, hundreds of residents and students submitted essays about how their career goals as a medical professional align with the mission to expand access to health care for the underserved. Ten finalists remain, and you can help select the two winners by voting on the video essays they created. Review the video essays and vote today; voting ends Friday.

The trip prize is offered by Timmy Global Health, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit organization that works to expand access to health care in low-income communities in the developing world. Timmy Global Health is supported by the MedPlus Advantage insurance program, offered through AMA Insurance Agency.