4 simple ways to impact student specialty choice in family medicine

By Adam Bradley, Manager of Student Choice

As the AAFP’s manager for student choice, I spend a lot of time listening to the questions students have about becoming family physicians and understanding what draws them to the specialty. I regularly hear students talk about the flexibility of the career that gives them the opportunity to build lasting relationships with patients, care for entire families and make a meaningful impact in their communities. Those motivations remain strong, which is reflected in the fact that more medical students continue to choose family medicine.

At the same time, the workforce outlook remains concerning. While family medicine residency programs continue to match thousands of students and graduates each year, we are not seeing growth at the pace needed to address the nation’s primary care physician shortage. That reality makes it more important than ever for family physicians to help inspire and support the next generation.

The good news is that every AAFP member can play a role. I propose four simple actions you can take to help ensure more students have the opportunity to become a family physician in the future.

One of the most effective ways to inspire students to choose family medicine is helping them attend FUTURE, formerly National Conference. This conference provides students with the opportunity to explore the breadth of options available in a family medicine career that they might not see within their medical school curriculum. FUTURE also hosts the nation’s largest family medicine residency fair, allowing students to network with residents and residency programs.

In attendee surveys, 67.7% of students report being “very interested” in family medicine before attending the conference. Afterward, that number jumps to 92.7%. For many students, FUTURE is their first opportunity to connect with family physician mentors, explore the breadth of the specialty and envision themselves in a family medicine career.

The biggest barrier for many students is the cost of attending. That’s why supporting scholarship opportunities through the AAFP Foundation’s Family Medicine Leads program is one of the most direct ways to strengthen the future family medicine workforce. Donations to the program help provide scholarships that enable nearly 250 students and residents to attend FUTURE each year.

The need for scholarship support remains significant. By funding a scholarship through Family Medicine Leads, you can help ensure that more students have access to the experience, mentorship and inspiration that often solidifies their decision to become family physicians.

Another way to strengthen the pathway to family medicine is to become an AAFP Family Medicine Champion. Developed by passionate AAFP member family physicians and educators, this free, self-paced educational program equips you with the knowledge, language and confidence to guide students exploring careers in family medicine.

Through a structured, 12‑module curriculum, you’ll build practical skills to clearly and accurately explain the scope of family medicine, the training pathway and the key considerations that shape career decisions such as debt, burnout and career flexibility. Completing the program means earning 4.75 CME credits and joining a growing network of AAFP members and partners committed to strengthening the future of family medicine.

Beyond the educational content, Family Medicine Champions gain access to an online community, networking opportunities with fellow family physicians and pre-health advisors, and program sessions designed to support collaboration and shared learning. Whether you’re already mentoring students or looking for a way to get involved, the program offers practical tools to help you make a meaningful impact on how the next generation discovers their future in family medicine.

A third way to support the future of family medicine is to connect with your local medical school’s Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG). FMIGs are often one of the first places students go to explore the specialty, ask honest questions about training and practice, and meet family physicians who can help them imagine their own path.

AAFP members can play an important role by offering their time, perspective and encouragement. Start by reaching out to your constituent chapter or an AAFP FMIG regional coordinator, who can help connect you with student leaders at nearby schools. From there, you might offer to present at a meeting, serve as a mentor, participate in a panel, host students in your practice or help plan an event that highlights the breadth and value of family medicine.

These connections do not have to be complicated to be meaningful. A single conversation with a family physician can help a student feel seen, supported and excited about the specialty. By showing up for FMIGs, you can help students better understand what family medicine makes possible for patients, communities and their own careers.

Finally, family physicians can help shape the future workforce by advocating for policies that strengthen primary care. Though individual efforts to mentor students and support career exploration are essential, lasting change will require solutions that address the larger challenges facing the family medicine pathway.

From expanding graduate medical education funding and supporting teaching health centers to reducing student debt burdens and investing in primary care infrastructure, policymakers have the ability to influence how many physicians ultimately choose and remain in family medicine. That’s why it is critical for family physicians to use their collective voice to champion policies that grow and sustain the primary care workforce.

As trusted physicians and community leaders, you bring firsthand experience to conversations about workforce shortages and access to care. When lawmakers hear directly from family physicians, they gain a clearer understanding of what’s at stake for patients and communities. By participating in advocacy efforts through the AAFP and your chapter, you can help ensure that family medicine remains a priority and that future generations of physicians have the support they need to enter the specialty.

The primary care workforce shortage won't be solved by any single program or policy. But by speaking up together, we can help create the conditions that strengthen the pathway to family medicine and ensure that more students can choose a career in primary care while more communities gain access to the care they need.

The future of family medicine depends on the choices we make today. Though workforce challenges can seem daunting, the reality is that every family physician has the ability to influence a student’s career journey, support the pathway into primary care and advocate for policies that strengthen our specialty.

Whether you fund a scholarship, become a Family Medicine Champion, connect with a local FMIG or lend your voice to workforce advocacy efforts, your involvement matters. The students choosing family medicine today will become the physicians caring for our patients and communities tomorrow.

Together, we can help ensure that more students discover the rewards of family medicine, more physicians enter the specialty and more patients have access to the comprehensive, relationship-based care they deserve.

^{Adam Bradley is manager of student choice at the AAFP, where he leads national initiatives to increase medical student interest in family medicine and strengthen the primary care workforce. His work focuses on building the pathway into family medicine from early exposure through the Match, helping more students see a future in family medicine and fostering long-term engagement with the AAFP.}