FMIG faculty advisors: Mentorship and leadership resources
Sharpen your leadership skills as you help students get the most out of their family medicine interest group (FMIG) experience.
The role of FMIG faculty advisors
Family medicine interest groups, or FMIGs, exist to bring together medical students around areas of common interest for discussion, education and study. As a faculty advisor, you are there to support, encourage and nurture students' interest in the specialty and help student leaders make the FMIG experience valuable for members.
FMIG faculty advisors can be family physicians who are full-time or volunteer faculty members of departments of family medicine, non-physician members of departments of family medicine or family medicine residency program faculty members.
How faculty advisors support FMIGs
Help students frame the group's primary mission.
Suggest new and topical ideas based on exposure to clinical practice and trends in family medicine.
Serve as the liaison between the department of family medicine and the students.
Encourage leaders to contact partners in organizing FMIG activities.
Help students develop leadership skills.
FMIG advisor best practices
Working with medical schools and departments
You’ll need buy-in and cooperation from a few different people to set your FMIG up for success:
Dean’s office: Establish open communication so family medicine students will be chosen to participate on panels concerning specialty and residency choice.
Family medicine department chair: Establish an agreement on expectations and resources available for this position—e.g., funding to attend state or national meetings.
Executive director of your state Academy: Establish open communication about FMIG needs and activities.
Make sure to clear time on your schedule to attend FMIG meetings, and keep up with your school’s academic calendar and exam schedule to avoid conflicts when planning FMIG activities.
Working with student leaders
Students are looking to you for guidance. Listen to their questions and give constructive feedback. Help them brainstorm ideas for meetings and solve any issues that may arise. Perhaps most important, encourage peer-to-peer mentoring among students to help develop the next generation of leadership.
Strategies for expanding FMIG membership and activities
The best way to grow your FMIG is to be visible. Planning a robust schedule of events and activities and getting the word out can generate excitement around your group and grow your ranks.
Collaborate: Join forces and share ideas and resources with other campus groups that promote primary care.
Plan outside events: Attract new members by going off campus and serving people in the community. Check out these great programming programming ideas.
“Find Your Fit” postcards and posters: Easy recruitment tools to hand out or display.