For Medical Students

Med students lobby Congress to save GME funding

More than 300 medical students from 29 states headed to Capitol Hill on Monday as part of the AMA's Medical Student Advocacy Day to talk with their members of Congress about what needs to be done to protect the future of health care in the United States.

The students held 144 meetings with members of Congress and key staffers. The most pressing of the students' concerns was preserving graduate medical education (GME) funding, which is slated for a 2 percent cut under the federal budget sequester. The number of residency slots also has not kept pace with the increase of U.S. medical students or the demand for care, thanks to a cap that was first set in 1997.

"It's an important issue for the country because we need more doctors," said Mark Kashtan, a second-year medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin. "For us [medical students], it's the rest of our lives. Since we're the closest people to it, we need to be the most vocal advocates for it."

Read more about the students' experiences during Advocacy Day.

Wanted: clinical article submissions for JAMA

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is seeking submissions for JAMA Clinical Challenge articles and the journal's new feature, diagnostic test imaging.

JAMA Clinical Challenge articles are regularly published in JAMA and involve the interpretation of a clinical image. While the new diagnostic test imaging series has not yet been published, JAMA is now accepting submissions for it.

These articles are ideal for writing teams of medical students or resident physicians partnered with attending physicians. JAMA's instructions for authors provide details on the requirements for both article types.

Interested authors should start by sending an email to JAMA Deputy Editor Ed Livingston, MD, and viewing a recently published example of a JAMA Clinical Challenge article. For more information on how to submit figures, read The JAMA Network's Guidelines for Figures in Accepted Manuscripts. JAMA will not consider manuscripts that do not follow these guidelines.

AMA members receive full online access to The JAMA Network, which includes JAMA and nine specialty journals. Activate your subscription today.

Apply for student seat on AMA Foundation board

Medical students interested in having a voice in the many programs offered by the AMA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the AMA, are invited to apply for the student seat on the foundation’s board of directors.

The foundation’s mission is to improve the health of Americans through philanthropic support of public health and medical education programs. Through partnerships with numerous donors, the AMA Alliance, AMA affiliations and other organizations, the AMA Foundation works to improve the health of the nation’s communities and strengthen the patient-physician relationship with its better health initiatives.

Because a significant number of the foundation’s activities involve assistance to medical students, input from the student member is especially valuable to the board’s deliberations.

Applications are due Feb. 20. To download an application, visit the AMA Medical Student Section’s National Leadership Positions Web page and click on “AMA Foundation Board – Student Representative.”

Email Benjamin Schanker, the current student member of the board, for specific details about the seat.

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.