FAMILY MEDICINE INTEREST GROUP (FMIG) is a student organization, affiliated with the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), with representation at the majority of medical schools throughout the United States. The organization is dedicated to promoting interest in the specialty of Family Medicine.
To meet its goals, the FMIG sponsors activities and programs that provide students insight and understanding into the issues facing family physicians and provides an informal setting in which students may interact with faculty, community physicians and family practice residents. FMIG holds monthly or bimonthly meetings, and invites speakers to present topics of interest. Recent presentations have included such things as community health issues, clinical electives, and practice options in Family Medicine. Strong student interest has resulted in the organization of standing committees on rural medicine and on sports medicine which provide students opportunities to gain experience and knowledge in these areas. Other activities include an annual Casting Workshop, and a Spring Dinner to which local physicians and residents are invited.
As a member of the FMIG, students are eligible to attend the AAFP’s national convention for students and residents which is held each summer in Kansas City, as well as the FMIG Spring Assembly, and Research Day of the PAFP in Philadelphia. These events provide opportunities for direct student involvement in the state and national organizations, exposure to new ideas, and a chance to get acquainted with residency programs nationwide. As a student member of the PAFP and AAFP (membership dues compliments of FMIG), one receives The American Family Physician, a comprehensive review journal, The Keystone Physician, a new magazine from the PAFP, and the FP Update, a monthly publication which gives concise summaries and analysis of current information pertinent to Family Medicine.