POV: A Resident and First Timer at AMAM

I could feel my heart pounding in my ears and the perspiration collecting under my armpits as I stood at the microphone in front of a room of over a hundred medical students, residents, attending physicians, and staff. Our CAFP Student-Resident Council’s Advocacy subcommittee had submitted two resolutions for CAFP’s All Member Advocacy Meeting (AMAM), and I was up there to speak in support of our resolutions. This was the first time we had submitted resolutions as a subcommittee, and the first time many of us had gone to AMAM in person. Despite our nervousness, several of us, including one of our fourth-year medical students, spoke and successfully defended our resolutions.

The 2022 AMAM, the first in-person event in over two years, was so refreshing after two years of AMAM on virtual platforms. I was beyond excited to see my fellow CAFP Student-Resident Council members in person, and even more amazed at how inspiring the entire conference was. Hearing how passionate our community felt about various resolution topics, how some physician members became involved in advocacy and ran for elected office, and how many people donated to FP-PAC to support political action on behalf of family medicine physicians made me feel invigorated about the future of family medicine.

Many medical students and family medicine residents are interested and want to learn how to advocate. For 20222023, the largest sub-committee of the Student-Resident Council is focused on advocacy. We want to learn how to push for progress for our patients and for ourselves. We want to be involved in effecting widespread change and fixing problems that we see in the system. While we often have the desire, we do need guidance and mentorship in how to effectively advocate. We may not know how to write a resolution or how to call into town halls to support a piece of legislation. Dedicated time set aside for advocacy is also crucial for trainees, when so much of our time and energy is required just to learn medicine.

As a first-year resident, I felt like AMAM was the perfect starting point for me to dive into the world of advocacy through organized medicine. For example, at the end of the 2022 AMAM, all the attendees practiced our spiels for talking to our legislators. Prior to that, I had never thought about the details of meeting with a legislator. After this practice, and most certainly after joining one of the virtual legislator meetings later that week, I had a much better idea. These small opportunities give trainees the ability to build our confidence. With each bit of practice or involvement, we learn that speaking up does not have to be so scary, and we feel empowered to be more involved.

By the end of AMAM, I not only desired to further my own involvement in advocacy, but also to encourage other residents and medical students to learn and become more involved. I am very much looking forward to AMAM this year and hope to see many of you there!

About Dr. Wang

Susan Wang is a resident physician at UC Irvine Family Medicine. She grew up in the Bay Area and absolutely loves being a Californian!

AMAM

Scholarships Available for

Students & Residents - The CAFP Foundation is pleased to offer 15 scholarships in the amount of $500 each to support medical student and family medicine resident participation in the All Member Advocacy Meeting & Lobby Day, March 25-27, 2023. This is a great opportunity to get involved in CAFP’s legislative advocacy efforts. Apply soon, these go fast!

Lisa Folberg CEO