National Congress of Student Members (NCSM)

The National Congress of Student Members (NCSM) was created more than 35 years ago to serve as the official voice of AAFP student members. Through forums, student members elect their national officers and advocate for various issues and causes. Many family medicine leaders get their start in the student congress.

Resolutions

Resolutions are submitted to the NCSM by any conference registrant. Resolutions are written on-site at the conference and then referred to reference committees for consideration, with a hearing open to all conference attendees. Reference committee members then submit a written report of the hearing with recommendations to the floor of the NCSM for debate and action. All attendees meeting the rules of order criteria can vote from the floor.

Resolution Process

NCSM attendees can take the following actions on resolutions:

• Adopt
• Not Adopt
• Adopt with Substitution
• Reaffirm as current policy, program, or service of the AAFP

Resolutions adopted or adopted with substitution are referred to the appropriate AAFP entity for further consideration or action. If a reference committee recommendation referred to the AAFP Board of Directors is approved, the item is referred to the appropriate entity by the board chair. If a reference committee recommendation referred to the Congress of Delegates is approved, the item is referred to the Commission on Education for review with a subsequent recommendation to the board/board chair for next steps.

Implementation

Once a resolution has been passed and finalized, it becomes part of the AAFP’s operational plan, where appropriate staff owners outline tactics that will be implemented to achieve the item(s) set forth in the resolution.