Students are the future of the profession. Although foundational medical education is essential, providing students unique opportunities to get involved in advocacy is fundamental to their future as ambassadors to the community and for their patients. With that in mind, the University of Calgary Medical Students' Association (CMSA) hosted a club fair/advocacy symposium on August 19 to promote the many ways students can get involved in their community.
External groups were invited, as well as student clubs. Dr. Paul E. Boucher, past president of the AMA, spoke at the event about why advocacy and extracurriculars are crucial for medical students. He described unique ways students can get involved, including at the AMA.
The event encouraged further learning and engagement with various groups. Representatives from over 30 clubs and over 150 students explored the event where the AMA sponsored the food and raffle prizes. Bingo cards with club names were provided so students could potentially win raffle prizes, including additional funding to participate in conferences.
The CMSA organizing group would like to thank all the groups that volunteered their time and the AMA for their support. The group would also like to express gratitude to the following for putting this and other events together:
- VP of Events, Rudra Patel and her team, including club representative Jared Topham.
- VP of External National Bimbola Oyewunmi, and the Government Affairs and Advocacy Committee representative Andrea Zhuang.
The CMSA hopes they can get even more clubs out at future U of C events and continue to promote advocacy and engagement outside of the curriculum.