Pre-Med, Medical Students’ New Partner Provides Comprehensive, Current Information

Prospective and current medical students have a 24-7 partner in making decisions about their future, thanks to a redesigned and expanded Web site that focuses on their top questions and concerns.

The Web site, Virtual Family Medicine Interest Group at http://fmignet.aafp.org/index.xml, was relaunched today by the American Academy of Family Physicians Division of Medical Education. The new design was supported by a grant from the AAFP Foundation.

Virtual FMIG has become an important source of information for medical students, according to Ashley DeVilbiss, AAFP student interest manager. It provides the most current information on issues ranging from practice models such as the patient-centered medical home to universal access to health care, from managing and minimizing medical student debt to opportunities for practicing medicine overseas.

The site had an average of 10,000 visits each month before the redesign. With its new design and capabilities, Virtual FMIG collects and synthesizes information into a more user-friendly format, said DeVilbiss.

“We really wanted to provide a vehicle where students of all ages could get information about family medicine as it relates to them and where they are in their academic career,” she said.

Amy McGaha, M.D., AAFP assistant director of medical education, agreed.

“We know that our target audience of today’s medial students and tomorrow’s medical students are increasingly technologically savvy and they rely on the Internet for most of their information,” she said. “So our ability to communicate information in an exciting new format complements our student interest activities.”

Moreover, Virtual FMIG offers a wealth of information for practicing physicians who work with students interested in medicine or with medical students, according to McGaha. The Academy, she said, encourages practicing physicians who are preceptors for medical students to check out Web site “so they will be armed with the most up-to-date information to pass along to students.”

The new Web site features a section geared specifically for pre-med students. The section will provide pragmatic information on topics such as coursework to prepare for medical school and steps to take when applying to medical school. It also offers links to online discussion boards on topics chosen by and of greatest interest to medical students. The Web page continues to offer links to resources such as “Strolling Through the Match,” residency application timeline, selecting residency programs and transitioning to residency training.

In 2009, Virtual FMIG will offer webisodes about how family medicine prepares residents for global medicine careers, a day in the life of a family physician and the patient-centered medical home.