News for Academic Physicians

Register for next month's AMA-SMS meeting by May 23

Physicians planning to attend this year's AMA Section on Medical Schools (SMS) Annual Assembly Meeting must register by May 23. The meeting will take place June 15–17 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Log in and register online, then view more details about the meeting, which will take place in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates.

The agenda for the AMA-SMS meeting includes a listing of education sessions that offer continuing medical education credit in the form of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. If you have questions about the meeting, contact Jackie Drake of the AMA via email or at (312) 464-4389.

Reviewers needed for meeting resolutions, reports

Physicians attending the AMA Section on Medical Schools (SMS) meeting in June are invited to help review resolutions and reports submitted for consideration during the Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates.

Reviewers will develop a consent calendar of recommended actions and present suggestions to the section for a consensus vote. These actions will help guide the AMA-SMS delegates, alternate delegates and other representatives who will testify in AMA House reference committee hearings on June 17 during the Annual Meeting. A review meeting will be held June 15.

Email Jackie Drake of the AMA if you are interested in participating as a reviewer.

View "fast facts" on medical education

Learn about trends in undergraduate and graduate medical education by viewing the AMA's Medical Education "Fast Facts" Web page. The page offers data tables, graphs and analyses that present information on a variety of topics of interest to medical school and residency program administrators, faculty members and others involved in medical education.

Updates and new analyses will be added periodically.

3-year MD program puts students on the fast track

Several U.S. medical schools are experimenting with programs that allow students to obtain a degree in three years instead of four, according to a story in American Medical News.

In the past five years, at least four schools have initiated or are developing three-year programs, American Medical News reports. The schools condense their courses of study by eliminating breaks and electives and allowing students to begin clerkship training in their second year, a year earlier than the traditional four-year curriculum.

A recent commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association calls for reducing the time physicians spend in training by 30 percent to reduce costs and eliminate waste from the nation's health care system. What do you think? See what others are saying and voice your opinions on the AMA's New Horizons in Medical Education online community.