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Making the Most of YourInternal MedicineInterest Group:A Practical Resource GuideDeveloped by theCouncil of Student MembersJune 2015EX4038
Table of ContentsIntroduction to Internal Medicine Interest Groups.1Establishing an IMIG at your School.1Best Practices for IMIGs .3Holding an Internal Medicine Residency Fair .8Appendix.9
Introduction to InternalMedicine Interest GroupsAn internal medicine interest group (IMIG) isan organized group of medical students whomeet regularly to learn about internal medicine and to establish communication withfaculty and other students who share similarinterests. IMIGs have a faculty advisor whoprovides guidance, assists with the program,and lends continuity to the group.In addition to the faculty advisor, IMIGs oftenhave multiple student leaders. A typical IMIGwill have a President, Vice President,Treasurer, Secretary, and representatives fromeach medical school class to help plan andexecute activities. The leadership of yourIMIG can be set up to fit your needs, keepingin mind any requirements set forth by yourschool’s administration for student groups.The group can serve as a mechanism toaccomplish the following goals:1. Provide students with informationabout internal medicine as a medicalspecialty and as a possible career;2. Expose students to people in the fieldof internal medicine with interestingand successful careers who canprovide students with a sense of whatit is like to be an internal medicinespecialist or subspecialist; and3. Provide an opportunity for students tolearn, network, and relax together.Establishing an IMIG at Your SchoolYou should seek advice from as manyresources as possible during the planningstages. Be sure to consult with your school’sadministration about how to establish anofficial club at your school. Once the group’sleadership is established, an e-mail should besent out to all group members to poll themabout activities in which they are interestedand enlist their help with the many details ofrunning the group.Following is a list of key people, departments,and groups you should contact to help youget started. Depending on the organizationat your school, some of these suggestedcontacts may be redundant and others mayhave been left out. The key is to get as muchadvice and support as you can.Associate Dean or Dean of Academic Affairs:Set up a meeting to discuss the followingpoints: How does one go about starting anew organization at the medical school?Does he or she have suggestions as to whomight be an enthusiastic and supportivefaculty advisor for the club? The advisorshould be an internist who has the time,energy, and interest in helping with thegroup, or a faculty member in theDepartment of Medicine with those samequalities.Student Affairs Office: Ask how to mosteffectively schedule meetings, reserve space,and distribute announcements at yourschool. Inquire about the process for sendingmass e-mails or placing flyers in students’mailboxes. Other suggestions for publicizingupcoming meetings include postingannouncements throughout the school orobtaining a dedicated club bulletin board inthe hallway of the medical school.1
You should ask the Student Affairs Office staffhow other student groups go about obtaining funding for group activities and how toset up a bank account for the group. Possiblesources for funding include your school(through the Dean’s office, StudentGovernment, Student Affairs, StudentActivities, and/or the School Alumni fund),student membership dues, the Departmentof Medicine, your local chapter of theAmerican College of Physicians (ACP), andthe ACP national office.Class Presidents and Other Student Leaders:Write an e-mail to the class presidents orother student leaders and ask them to mention upcoming interest group meeting topics,dates, and times at class meetings. Talk to thestudent government body to determinemeeting times that would be most convenient. Keep in mind exams and other important student events when scheduling. Alsomake sure that the meeting location is convenient for students (i.e., a student lounge oractivity center, a local restaurant, a classroomor lecture hall, or a department or hospitalmeeting room).Faculty: Find a supportive faculty memberwho is willing to advise the group. Schedule ameeting with that individual to seek adviceand discuss possible meeting ideas andevents for the upcoming year.Chair of Medicine: Contact the Chair ofMedicine in the Department of InternalMedicine to inform him or her about the newstudent organization and offer the Chair aninvitation to speak to the group.2Internal Medicine Clerkship Director: Theinternal medicine clerkship director is anessential contact in your efforts to establishan IMIG. He or she can provide suggestionsfor speakers, ideas for activities, and help youplan any hospital-based activities you maywant to organize.ACP Council of Student Members (CSM): TheCSM consists of medical students like youwho are committed to supporting IMIGs andexpanding internal medicine’s visibility. A listof the CSM representatives can be found atwww.acponline.org/about acp/committees/students. You may contact the CSM by e-mailing the group at governance@acponline.org.Your Local ACP Chapter: To find contactinformation for your local ACP chapter, go towww.acponline.org/chapters. Your local ACPchapter is a vital link to the success of yourIMIG. Your ACP chapter can provide ideas,resources, and speakers for your group’sactivities. You can also find out if your localACP chapter has medical student activitiesplanned in your area in which your group canparticipate. Additionally, your ACP chaptermay be able to help you create programs thatcan be submitted for ACP’s John TookerEvergreen Award Program.
Best Practices for IMIGsClub Leadership and Logistics Develop a constitution or set of bylaws(governing rules) for your IMIG.The constitution or bylaws will benefitthe group by promoting fair groupproceedings, ensuring that all essentialfunctions are assigned to group members and that no one individual has toomuch responsibility, and providing aframework for the group to follow insubsequent years. An establishedconstitution or set of bylaws is frequently necessary for a club to obtainfunding from the university or medicalschool. An example set of bylaws and asample constitution are included in thisresource guide that you may wish touse as a starting point for developingyour own. Designate a few students from each classwho will serve as representatives for theirclasses. These students can act as liaisonsbetween classes, announce meetings, andcarry suggestions for meeting topics backto the IMIG. Consider adding a Student AdvocacyLeader position to your IMIG.The Student Advocacy Leader can helpthe group understand political issuesaffecting medical students and physiciansand help students register for ACP’sAdvocates for Internal Medicine NetworkProgram so they can advocate for positivechanges in medicine. For more information, visit www.acponline.org/advocacy/aimn. Clearly outline the IMIG’s goals for theyear. Decide among yourselves how manymeetings your group wants to hold inorder to successfully meet its goals. It issuggested to hold monthly or bimonthlymeetings. Develop a binder for the interest group.The binder should include such information as organizational meeting minutes,records of events (i.e., costs, sources offunding, number of people who attendedmeetings, helpful hints), governing documents, and key contact information. Thebinder will be helpful in providing continuity for next year’s officers because theywon’t have to start from scratch again thenext school year. Network with your local ACP chapter.Get and stay in touch with your local ACPchapter. Reach out to your local ACPchapter leadership (see page 2 for moreinformation) for help organizing speakersand events for your IMIG. Offer to send anIMIG representative to your local ACPchapter’s executive council meetings, oralternatively offer to help create or maintain your local ACP chapter’s Facebook orTwitter page. Develop a Web page for your IMIG orlocal ACP chapter. Having a website (or aFacebook or Twitter page) is a great ideato increase student awareness of yourIMIG. You may want to ask your local ACPchapter to create and maintain a websiteon which you can post information aboutevents. You could also consider askingyour hospital’s Department of Medicine ifyour IMIG can have space on their server.Be sure to follow the policies of yourhosting organization regarding logo usageand privacy considerations.3
Planning and Running SuccessfulMeetings Limit meetings to 90 minutes or less whenever possible. Medical students, concernedabout time away from their study schedules,will respond best to short and directedmeetings. Serve refreshments as an incentive toattend. If the meeting is held in the earlyevening, the refreshments should be substantial enough to be considered dinner.When selecting food and beverages, youshould consider the dietary restrictions ofthe attendees, the budget for the event, andyour institution’s policies. Post an advance registration page for IMIGactivities. Use a Google Documents pageor a Facebook event invitation to helpspread the word. This will help you anticipate how many people will attend eachmeeting to avoid overcrowding and ensurethat enough materials and food are onhand. Ask interest group participants to sign in ateach club meeting and include their e-mailaddresses. This list will provide a count ofhow many people attend each meeting andthe names and e-mail addresses of studentsto contact regarding upcoming club events. End each meeting with a commitment forthe next meeting, or set up a planningmeeting to develop a program of futureevents. Group members should be giventhe opportunity to suggest topics of interestfor future discussion or presentation. Hold ameeting planning session after solicitingmeeting topics from group members. Add aquestion to the sign-in sheet to find outmembers’ specific interests or have them fillout a written or e-mailed survey. Some4IMIGs assign a different group member,usually an officer, to plan each meeting toadd variety and spread out the work moreevenly. Follow up each meeting with thank younotes to speakers and discussion panelparticipants. This is a good practice ingeneral, and they may be willing to participate again or help the group in some otherway.General Advice Lunch and dinner lectures are easy to planand are always well-attended when there isfree food. Events at which students can have one-onone contact with physicians are the mostmemorable IMIG activities. At your meetings, you may want to haveeither one distinguished speaker or a panelof speakers to present various viewpointson the same subject. Write a monthly newsletter to communicatewith IMIG members about upcomingevents, opportunities, and membership inthe ACP.ACP Student Membership Bring a computer to the Student ActivitiesFair at the beginning of the year andencourage students to become ACP members at your IMIG booth. ACP studentmembership is free! At the end of every IMIG-related e-mail, adda short blurb about the benefits of ACPmembership with a link to the registrationpage acponline.org/membership/join/students/.
Send an e-mail to all students in your schoolwho haven’t yet enrolled in the ACP. Yourlocal ACP chapter or the national ACP(imig@acponline.org) can provide you witha list of students at your school who arealready ACP members. You can crossreference this list against your school’sroster and send a basic e-mail explainingthe benefits of ACP membership to students who haven’t yet enrolled. A sampleACP recruitment e-mail is included in theappendix. Be sure to adhere to your institution’s policies regarding electronic communications.Meeting, Activity, and Event Ideas Kick off the year with an introduction tointernal medicine event. You can ask yourlocal ACP Governor or a physician at yourmedical school who is an ACP member tocome and explain the value of ACP membership and describe life as an internist. Coordinate subspecialty lectures with thepreclinical curriculum. For example, have acardiologist come and speak to the IMIGduring the cardiology block. It’s easy to findspeakers considering that all of your lecturers will be cardiologists, and it helps students get a different perspective on theblock that they are studying. Plan a series of brown bag lunch seminarsto be held once a month. Group memberscan meet in advance and organize a program in which a faculty member or practicing internist presents information duringthe lunch hour. Because students, faculty,and clinicians are busy but still need to eatlunch, this could be a good meeting timefor your group. Invite physicians to discuss socioeconomicissues that affect patients and the physicianswho treat them. Start an internal medicine journal club, orhost a discussion panel with expert facultyabout a controversial topic or new development in internal medicine (e.g., a discussionabout the new guidelines for cholesterolmanagement). You can ask your IMIGfaculty sponsor to help you choose topicsand appropriate scientific literature articlesabout those topics. In the case of a recurring journal club, your IMIG faculty sponsorcan also help teach students about how tocritically evaluate clinical literature. Set up a first- and second-year studentversion of morning report, led by a fourthyear student, resident, or attending physician. Present interesting cases related to thephysiology, biochemistry, anatomy, orpathology courses the students are taking.This would be a fun way to review coursematerial, put it in context, and prepare forthe Boards. A meeting like this could beheld before classes with breakfast providedor during lunch. Hold an internal medicine career day byasking representatives from each specialtyand subspecialty of internal medicine to setup a booth and discuss their fields withstudents. Visit a specialized community practice, suchas a rheumatology practice, to get a firsthand look at what a day in the life of thesephysicians is like. Invite experts in health care reform to speakto students so they have a better understanding of the issues and how physiciansare affected.5
Host a discussion about the differencesbetween inpatient and outpatient medicine. Hold a workshop on how to developabstracts to be submitted to the ACPMedical Student Abstract Competitions.Invite faculty and other medical students tocritique the abstracts in order to fine-tunethe presentations before submitting to thecompetition. Resources for the MedicalStudent Abstract Competitions can befound at acponline.org/abstracts. Plan and host an IMIG conference. This fullday event can include such activities asstudent case report and research presentations; lectures on how to build a successfulpractice, how to lead a satisfying life as aphysician, and choosing a specialty; andclinical skills workshops. If your medical school has more than onehospital location available for the internalmedicine clerkship and students canrequest specific sites, consider hosting aninternal medicine clerkship fair or panelwhere third- and fourth-year medical students (or clerkship directors) at each sitecan provide details about that particularsite.Clinical Skills Workshops and LearningOpportunities Clinical skills workshops are very popularbut are often logistically difficult to plan.Give yourself several weeks to plan andenlist the help of physicians and residentsfor gathering supplies and serving asteachers. Hold skills workshops for different areas ininternal medicine, such as cardiac auscultation, administration of immunizations,starting an IV, diabetic screening, paracentesis, thoracentesis, the use of ultrasound,6EKG reading, X-Ray or CT interpretation,basic ventilator support, central lines, orjoint aspiration. Try to correlate the themeof the workshop with what is currently beingtaught in the first and second years. Accessto a simulation center is helpful but notnecessary. Hold a workshop where patients withabnormal physical findings can volunteer tobe examined by students. Be sure to have aphysician or resident available to discussthe findings with the students. Ask clinical faculty to invite students ongrand rounds with the residents. Invite a physician to speak about bedsidemanner and give advice on relating topatients, breaking bad news, and handlingdifficult situations. Invite physicians to talk about how to communicate with patients from different cultures or who speak different languages. Host a workshop to help students preparefor their medicine clerkship. Students canbe taught the basics on how to write aprogress note, perform a medical historyand physical, and how to give oral presentations.
Mentoring and Residency PreparationVolunteerism Activities Connect students with local physicians,residents, and fellows. Mentoring opportunities can include shadowing, researchassistance, or something as casual as talkingover a cup of coffee. If your school has existing clinical volunteerism opportunities for students, be sureto participate in them. Clinical volunteerismopportunities will give you experience inworking with patients and practicing variousskills. If opportunities do not yet exist, yourgroup can establish them. Planning clinicalvolunteerism opportunities will take a lot ofwork but it will be worth it in the long run.Consult with the same resources andgroups outlined in the Establishing an IMIGsection to get a program started. Plan a residency fair, inviting local orstatewide internal medicine residencyprogram directors to come to campus for aday of networking. For more informationsee Holding a Residency Fair. Develop a panel discussion on applying forinternal medicine residencies. Ask first-yearresidents who have matched into variousinternal medicine residency programs inyour area to sit on the panel and answerstudents’ questions about the programsand the application process. Ask a residency program director to facilitate thediscussion. Organize a networking reception, invitingstudents, faculty, residency program directors, residents, and community physiciansto attend. This is a good way to get everyone introduced to each other and to getfaculty and physicians more involved withthe students. Hold a reception for fourth-year medicalstudents before the application and interview process begins and invite the Chair ofMedicine and other faculty from theDepartment of Medicine. This will give thestudents an opportunity to interact with thefaculty members before asking them towrite letters of recommendation for theapplication process. Look into the possibility of students volunteering at a local clinic. Work with faculty at your school to set up afree clinic for hospital employees, such asblood pressure screening. Hold a community health fair and providescreening and educational information onvarious topics, such as high blood pressure,diabetes, depression, and COPD.Free patient education materials areavailable to ACP members at PatientEducationTools/tabid/207/Default.aspx.Work to get space at a local business orcommunity center so that your health faircan be accessed by populations who needit the most. Participate as a group in your local MS BikeTour, 3-Day for Breast Cancer Walk, ALSMarathon, or other program to raise fundsfor groups who are researching cures fordiseases. Establish a fund-raising program to benefitgroups that provide health care services forthe uninsured and underinsured or healthcare outreach programs to the homeless.7
Holding an Internal MedicineResidency FairCreate an opportunity to learn more aboutlocal residency programs, meet programdirectors, and learn more about the residencyapplication process by organizing a residencyfair. You could host a local residency fair atyour school, work with other IMIGs in yourarea to set up a regional residency fair, or talkwith your ACP chapter about the possibility ofholding a chapter-based residency fair. Onceyou have determined the budget and scopeof your residency fair, you should follow thesteps on this list to ensure a successful event.Consider including an opening programduring which each residency director speaksfor approximately 10 minutes about theirprogram, specific tracks that are available,unique aspects of their program, and specialopportunities available to residents. After thatsession is complete, you can either havesmall-group breakout sessions so that moredetailed information can be provided by theresidency directors (have one residencydirector in each room and groups of studentsrotate through each room) or set up informational booths at which students can askquestions directly to the program directors.Organizing a Residency FairResidency Director Communications E-mail invitations to residency directors. Letthem know the date, time, and location ofthe event and the event format and howthey should prepare. Keep track of theirRSVPs. Make sure all residency directors who arecoming to the event have directions andknow where to park, have parking vouchersif they are available, and have a contactphone number of an event organizer sothey can let you know if they are lost or late. After the event, send thank you notes toeach director who attended and invite themto participate again the following year.Student Communications Send an e-mail invitation to prospectivestudent attendees advertising the event.Make sure that food is advertised if offered.Consider sending out school-wide e-mailsto all medical students at your institution,and get in touch with your ACP chapter toutilize their resources for contacting ACPstudent members in your area. Keep track of student RSVPs from eachschool. Make posters promoting the event to hangaround your school.8
Send out a reminder e-mail 1 week beforethe event and again the day before toremind students that they said they wouldattend. Make sure students know how to getto the location. Offer directions on publictransportation routes, driving directions,and parking vouchers if available. Tellstudents about the dress code (businesscasual).Food Considerations Make signs detailing how to get to theevent auditorium, including room numbersif applicable, to post throughout the school. Make sure the food arrives and is set upbefore the event begins.Secure Event Site and AudiovisualEquipment You will need a big room, gymnasium, oratrium with tables set up in a panel style soeach director can be introduced and give ashort talk about their program. The program directors may want to utilizePowerPoint for their presentations, so besure to get the appropriate AV equipmentfor the main room. If utilizing the small group format, secure asmany small rooms as you have residencydirectors participating. You should aim for 6to 10 students per session. Set up tablesand chairs in the small rooms. Decide what you would like to serve,depending on the time of your event. Foodshould be served to boost student attendance, and you may want to considerproviding portable food, such as boxedlunches, for the program directors. Order food about 2 weeks before event. Make sure any trash is taken care of before,during, and after the event.Entrance and Event Sign-in Develop a sign-in sheet for attendingstudents and be sure to get their e-mailaddresses. Develop a survey regarding the event andgive it to students when they sign in.Remember to collect the survey at the endof the event. Have ACP membership information available for students to fill out if they are notACP members, or have a laptop available sothat students can sign up for ACP membership online: acponline.org/joinstudentsAppendixSample IMIG BylawsSample IMIG ConstitutionSample ACP Recruitment Letter to MedicalStudents9
Sample IMIG BylawsOrganization Bylaws for [Name of Internal Medicine Interest Group]I.The purposes of the organization shall be to:a. Promote communication among members and faculty.b. Obtain information about careers in internal medicine.c. Promote the profession of internal medicine.d. Serve the medical school and campus public.II.Membership shall be open to any medical student.III.The executive power of the organization shall be vested in the President. The ExecutiveBoard shall consist of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.IV.A faculty member shall be selected by majority vote of the members to serve as FacultyAdvisor to the organization.V.The organization shall not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, age, sex, nationalorigin, military status, or sexual orientation.VI.Amendments to these bylaws shall be presented at any business meeting by any memberand shall be passed, after second reading, by a majority vote.VII.Officers and advisors shall be elected each year, and shall be elected by majority vote ofthe members.a. The President shall preside at all meetings and serve the needs of the organization asexecutive officer.b. The Vice President shall perform the President’s duties in his or her absence.c. The Secretary shall record accurate minutes, notify members of meetings, and submit alist of officers to the Student Affairs office.d. The Treasurer shall keep a complete record of expenses, authorize expenditures, planthe yearly budget, provide financial reports, and provide a copy of financial records tothe school accounting office.e. The Faculty Advisor shall provide advice and assistance to the internal medicine interestgroup officers and organization members.President’s SignatureDateFaculty Advisor’s SignatureDate10
Sample IMIG ConstitutionConstitutionArticle I – NameThe name of this organization shall be the .Article II – PurposeThe purpose of our organization shall be to foster professional growth and career development ofmembers of the School of Medicine who are interested in the field ofinternal medicine.Article III – Compliance ClauseWe agree to abide all regulations, all University policies, in addition to all federal, state, and locallaws.Article IV – Non-DiscriminationThis organization shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.Article V – MembershipMembership shall be open to any currently enrolled student in theSchool of Medicine.Article VI – Election of OfficersA. The following officers shall be elected on a yearly basisB. An election shall be scheduled in (month) of each year to elect new officersby majority vote. Incumbent officers shall have the option to run for re-election.C. Officers must be in good academic standingD. Two-thirds of the active members must be present at the time of voting.E. Newly elected officers should assume office immediately following the meeting in whichthey are elected.Article VII – Executive BoardA. All elected officers shall serve on the Executive Board.B. The duties of each officer shall be:i. President - To preside over meetings and to serve as the official liaison between theDepartment of Internal Medicine and the students. In addition, the president will planmeetings that focus on direct interaction with faculty, fellows, residents, etc. fromInternal Medicine and its various subspecialties.ii. Secretary – To keep meeting minutes and post meeting minutes.iii. Treasurer- To keep track of all financial transactions and attend relevant training sessions/meetings.11
Article VIII – Removal of OfficersA. Any member may make a motion for the removal of any officer providing that evidence ispresented to support the removal. Grounds for removal include the inadequate fulfillmentof duties or the violation of regulations described in University policies, or any federal,state, or local laws.B. A two-thirds vote by the membership is needed to remove an officer. Two-thirds of theactive members must be present at the time of voting.C. An election for a new officer should be conducted at the next scheduled business meeting.Article IX – AdvisorA. The Executive Board shall nominate one faculty or staff member (at least 75% full-timeequivalent) to serve as advisor.B. The active membership shall vote on accepting the advisor with a simple majority neededfor acceptance.C. Two-thirds of the active members must be present at the time of voting.Article X – Amendments to the ConstitutionA. Any member of the organization may present amendments to the Constitution at anyregularly scheduled business meeting. After reading the current Constitution along withthe proposed change, the change will be voted on. A four-fifths majority is necessary topass the amendment. Two-thirds of the active membership must be present at the time ofvoting.Amendments to the Constitution must be submitted to and approved by the Coordinator for StudentOrganizations before they become effective.12
Sample ACP Recruitment Letter to Medical Students[Insert the school’s logo & ACP’s logo in your email or letter here]Dear Student,Interested in primary care? How about internal medicine or any of its subspecialties (cardiology,oncology, critical care, and more)? Join the American College of Physicians! ACP offers manyvaluable benefits to medical students, whether you’re starting your first week of histology or yourfinal sub-internship. And best of all, ACP Me
Introduction to Internal Medicine Interest Groups An internal medicine interest group (IMIG) is an organized group of medical students who meet regularly to learn about internal medi-cine and to establish communication with faculty and other students who share similar interests. IMIGs have a faculty advisor who provides guidance, assists with .
