Family Medicine Meetings and Conferences for Medical Students
Attending conferences and meetings is a great way to get involved in family medicine and network with leaders in the specialty while you are a student. Many events offer scholarships and feature residency fairs, as noted below.
AAFP Meetings & Conferences
National Conference of Family Medicine Residents & Medical Students
Each summer, thousands of medical students and family medicine residents travel to Kansas City, Mo., for National Conference. At this three-day event, clinical skills, leadership development, and career planning are covered in workshops and procedural skills courses. Students can network with and learn about nearly any family medicine residency program in the country at the nation's largest specialty residency fair. The National Congress of Student Members, which convenes during the conference, offers the ideal forum for discussing issues and concerns facing medical students. The NCSM business sessions provide the opportunity to have a voice in AAFP policies and positions and to elect AAFP student leaders. Be sure to check out the National Conference event page for details, including information on scholarships.
AAFP Family Medicine Experience (FMX)
FMX is the AAFP's annual educational conference and a celebration for its members. Medical students can take part in everything family physicians experience at this event over five exciting days. FMX occurs every fall, after the Congress of Delegates, and takes place in a different major city each year--if your medical school is nearby, don't pass up the opportunity to go and hear incredible speakers and network with inspiring physicians.
AAFP Congress of Delegates
The Congress of Delegates is the Academy's policy-making body. Its membership consists of two delegates from each constituent chapter. Medical students are one of the special constituencies that is represented. Any AAFP student member can participate in COD events, including student caucus meetings. This meeting is a joint event with FMX, beginning two and a half days before the main conference.
State Legislative Conference
At this annual fall conference, attendees learn about issues influencing health care and how to effect change where they live. Registration is discounted for students and residents. The State Legislative Conference presents opportunities for you to connect with health policy experts, family physicians, chapter leaders, and AAFP staff. You can build your list of contacts to call on for insights and recommendations.
Family Medicine Global Health Workshop
The AAFP's Center for Global Health Initiatives organizes an annual conference to connect family medicine educators, residents, and students and encourage the development of global family medicine. Topics include WONCA and other international organizations that can be used as resources, developing global health tracks in medical school, innovations for improving the primary care workforce world-wide, and diseases in the developing world.
Family Medicine Advocacy Summit
The AAFP's Family Medicine Advocacy Summit is a yearly spring event held in Washington, D.C. Attendees learn and pracitce new skills that equip them to an impact policy at the legislative level. As part of the conference, participants meet with members of the Congressional delegation and the AAFP's government relations staff. Policy-minded students are encouraged to attend, and scholarships are available.
AAFP Leadership Conference
This conference brings family medicine leaders together in Kansas City, Mo., each spring. There are two tracks: the Annual Chapter Leader Forum and the National Conference of Constituency Leaders. NCCL is the AAFP's premier policy development event for underrepresented constituencies. ACLF is the annual convening of chapter executives from around the country.
Meetings with Other Organizations
AMSA
The American Medical Student Association hosts an annual convention where medical students from schools across the country come together to discuss policy, campus programming, professional development, and more.
STFM
The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine holds several conferences each year, in which medical students frequently participate for mentoring and networking opportunities and programming that affects medical education.
Family medicine residents at FMEC's Annual Meeting
SNMA
The Student National Medical Association's Annual Medical Education Conference is held each spring and attracts students and professionals from all levels of medical education. This conference is the largest gathering of underrepresented minority medical students in the country.
LMSA
The Latino Medical Student Association holds two major conferences each year: its National Conference happens each spring, and its Policy Summit occurs in the fall. LMSA's National Conference is open to all medical students, as well as high school and premedical students.
FMEC Annual Meeting
Each fall, the Family Medicine Education Consortium hosts a conference in the northeast region of the US. This conference offers diverse workshops and networking opportunities, including a large residency fair. Medical students will feel inspired by the family medicine community that makes up the FMEC.
Family medicine research being
presented at NAPCRG
Family Medicine Midwest
The Family Medicine Midwest conference, which occurs each fall, features a wide range of sessions on various clinical areas, procedural skills, advocacy, and career development. Students can submit workshop proposals and benefit from networking, as well as meet potential program leaders at the residency fair.
NAPCRG Annual Meeting
Attending or presenting at the North American Primary Care Research Group's annual meeting, which takes place in the fall/winter, will provide you with insight into the major advances being made in research in primary care.