American Medical Student Association
Encyclopedia
The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), founded in 1950 and based in Washington, D.C.
, is the oldest and largest independent association of physician
s-in-training in the United States
. AMSA is a student-governed, national organization. They have a membership of 68,000 medical student
s, premedical students, interns, medical residents and practicing physician
s from across the country.
AMSA's action committees and interest groups help expose medical students to information on subjects not generally covered in traditional curricula, and is the only major national medical organization in the US that accepts no sponsorship or funding from any pharmaceutical company
.
(AMA). The main purpose of the organization was to provide medical students a chance to participate in organized medicine.
The late 1960s saw dramatic changes in the organization's objectives and philosophy. In 1967, AMSA established its independence from the AMA, became student-governed, and began to raise its own voice on a variety of socio-medical issues, including civil rights
, abortion rights, universal health care
and Vietnam
.
In a collaboration with medical educators that began in 1968, AMSA proposed numerous reforms and model curricula, to transform medical education in order to make the profession more responsive to community needs. AMSA was also instrumental in the introduction of the original Family Practice Act of 1970, and supported legislation establishing the National Health Service Corps
.
AMSA has led a campaign to reform medical resident work hours
, long a controversial issue in the field. In 2001 AMSA joined the Committee of Interns & Residents
and Public Citizen
in filing a petition with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
asking for federal oversight of resident work hours as a matter of workplace safety. AMSA authored the Patient and Physician Safety and Protection Act of 2005, introduced by Senator Jon Corzine
(S. 1297) and Representative John Conyers
(H.R.1228). AMSA and the Committee of Interns & Residents
also jointly maintain a website advocating for work hours reform called Hours Watch that presents the latest scientific research on the topic.
In addition to sponsoring events highlighting prospects for universal health care, medical technology and HIV
/AIDS
, AMSA also has organized the PharmFree Campaign
to educate and train its members to interact professionally and ethically with the pharmaceutical industry.
In September, 2005, AMSA led the National Conference on the Financing of Undergraduate Medical Education, an event that brought together legislators, medical organizations, medical students and others to address skyrocketing medical debt
.
Each spring, AMSA's Annual Convention brings together nearly 1,500 physicians-in-training and leaders in medical education and health policy.
The location of the convention alternates from year to year between the DC metro area and other locations. At the Convention, are renowned Keynote Speakers and many healthcare related exhibitors.
Also, at convention the House Of Delegates (HOD) meets. The HOD is where AMSA's members take ownership of the Association. As AMSA's official policy-making body, the HOD is a delegation of AMSA members from each local medical chapter who meet once a year at the Annual Convention to vote on AMSA's policies and to elect our national officers. The HOD is open to all members of AMSA to speak and vote. The members debate the issues, make the amendments and cast the votes that shape AMSA's policies. Any member of AMSA has the ability to write and submit resolutions to the HOD.
In 2008, IFMSA-USA merged with AMSA. IFMSA-USA previously was the US representative to the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations
(IFMSA). Since the merger, AMSA now is able to offer international exchanges for research and clinical electives to nearly 70 countries through SCORE and SCOPE respectively. The exchanges are available to medical student members. Research exchanges are also available to select pre-med members. AMSA also now sends a delegation of students to the semi-annual IFMSA General Assemblies (GA) of IFMSA.
The PharmFree project, established by the AMSA in 2002, was created from the belief that the medical profession needs more detachment from pharmaceutical firms. Spending on marketing to physicians, which includes gifts to med students, rose from $12.1 billion in 1999 to $22 billion in 2003. Based on the premise that taking gifts from pharmaceutical companies creates a conflict of interest
for doctors, AMSA now urges both students and practising physicians to 'just say no' to all personal gifts from Pharmaceutical companies.
The PharmFree campaign has included a march on Pfizer offices in New York
, where members assembled at the firm's front doors and dumped thousands of pens marked with the company's logo on the doorstep. Additionally, AMSA started the Counterdetailing Campaign in 2005 to encourage physicians-in-training to educate practicing physicians about alternative sources of information regarding pharmaceuticals. As "detailing" is the concept of drug representatives selling biased information to physicians, AMSA came up with the concept of "counterdetailing" as an opposing concept, for students to bring physicians evidence-based sources of information. In May 2007, AMSA released the PharmFree Scorecard, the first to evaluate medical schools according to their pharmaceutical interaction policies. Of all the medical schools in the United States, five received a grade of “A,” which translates into comprehensive school policy that restricts pharmaceutical representatives to both the medical school campus and its academic medical centers. Forty schools received an “F” for their lack of policies or encouraging physicians-in-training to obtain information from drug representatives.
Allies and supporters of this campaign include No Free Lunch
, AARP
, Consumers Union
, the Medical Letter, and the National Physicians Alliance
.
, a multi-year campaign to raise awareness about the problem of uninsured children in America.
AMSA Academy is a training ground for physician leaders, established by and for students. The Academy strives to empower medical students to effect change in medicine. Combining didactic with experiential learning, AMSA Academy courses take medical students through the core competencies of leadership and project implementation, while building on key principles of important topics in medicine.
Each program fosters the value of health care must be patient-centered, effective, efficient, safe, equitable, and timely, as identified by the Institute of Medicine. We see our mission as training physician leaders in order to transform the face of medicine.
During its history, the AMSA Foundation has developed a national reputation for designing and conducting quality and innovative programming. It has managed over $75,000,000 of grant and contract funds during this period. Much of the organization's early work was performed under contract with the U.S. Public Health Service. From 1971 through 1980, the AMSA Foundation was the primary recruiter of physicians for the National Health Service Corps
, Bureau of Medical Services and the Indian Health Service
.
The AMSA Foundation has also worked extensively with private foundations and corporations on programs designed to augment physician development and innovations in medical education. The organization was one of the original innovators of interdisciplinary health team training for medical and health professions students-an initiative that has continued to this day. AMSA has also launched programs in primary care, complementary and alternative medicine, international health, health policy, HIV/AIDS education, substance abuse prevention, breast cancer prevention, health services management and end of life care for medical and other health professions students.
To celebrate AMSA's 60th anniversary, a new logo
was designed to commemorate the occasion. Importantly, the Rod of Asclepius
has been incorporated into a shield, beside which "AMSA" is spelled out (using a custom font
which differs from the original logo). The letters AMSA rest upon the fully spelled out name of the organization, using the font "Today."
The crest contains four colours; from top right clockwise, they are and represent:
There is also a blazon
as to the usage of the logo, including size, dimensions and colours. These can be found at AMSA's website.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, is the oldest and largest independent association of physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s-in-training in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. AMSA is a student-governed, national organization. They have a membership of 68,000 medical student
Medical Student
Medical Student may refer to:*Someone studying at medical school*Medical Student Newspaper, a UK publication...
s, premedical students, interns, medical residents and practicing physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s from across the country.
AMSA's action committees and interest groups help expose medical students to information on subjects not generally covered in traditional curricula, and is the only major national medical organization in the US that accepts no sponsorship or funding from any pharmaceutical company
Pharmaceutical company
The pharmaceutical industry develops, produces, and markets drugs licensed for use as medications. Pharmaceutical companies are allowed to deal in generic and/or brand medications and medical devices...
.
Strategic priorities
In November 2007, AMSA leaders decided upon four strategic priorities:- Quality, Affordable Health Care for AllUniversal health careUniversal health care is a term referring to organized health care systems built around the principle of universal coverage for all members of society, combining mechanisms for health financing and service provision.-History:...
through advocacy for health care reformHealth care reformHealth care reform is a general rubric used for discussing major health policy creation or changes—for the most part, governmental policy that affects health care delivery in a given place...
and a single-payer universal health care systemSingle-payer health careSingle-payer health care is medical care funded from a single insurance pool, run by the state. Under a single-payer system, universal health care for an entire population can be financed from a pool to which many parties employees, employers, and the state have contributed... - Global HealthGlobal healthGlobal health is the health of populations in a global context and transcends the perspectives and concerns of individual nations. Health problems that transcend national borders or have a global political and economic impact, are often emphasized...
Equity through education about our responsibility for rational and proportional assistance for all people - Enriching Medicine Through DiversityMulticulturalismMulticulturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
by improving recruitment and retention into medicine of under-reperesented minorities, while increasing the diversity of its own leadership - Professional Integrity, Development and Student Well-Being that creates a humane and cooperative learning environment, one that will develop physicians worthy of the public trust, through work hour reform, revitalization of professionalism in the medical field, and through AMSA's PharmFreePharmFreePharmFree is an ongoing campaign begun in 2002 by the American Medical Student Association , in collaboration with No Free Lunch, to organize political activism challenging the practice of pharmaceutical gifting to students and physicians....
campaign
History
The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) was founded in 1950, as the Student American Medical Association (SAMA), under the auspices of the American Medical AssociationAmerican Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
(AMA). The main purpose of the organization was to provide medical students a chance to participate in organized medicine.
The late 1960s saw dramatic changes in the organization's objectives and philosophy. In 1967, AMSA established its independence from the AMA, became student-governed, and began to raise its own voice on a variety of socio-medical issues, including civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
, abortion rights, universal health care
Universal health care
Universal health care is a term referring to organized health care systems built around the principle of universal coverage for all members of society, combining mechanisms for health financing and service provision.-History:...
and Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
In a collaboration with medical educators that began in 1968, AMSA proposed numerous reforms and model curricula, to transform medical education in order to make the profession more responsive to community needs. AMSA was also instrumental in the introduction of the original Family Practice Act of 1970, and supported legislation establishing the National Health Service Corps
National Health Service Corps
The National Health Service Corps is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, division of Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Clinician Recruitment and Service....
.
AMSA has led a campaign to reform medical resident work hours
Medical resident work hours
Medical resident work hours is a term that refers to the often lengthy shifts worked by medical interns and residents during their medical residency. The issue has become a political football in the United States, where federal regulations do not limit the number of hours that can be assigned...
, long a controversial issue in the field. In 2001 AMSA joined the Committee of Interns & Residents
Committee of Interns & Residents
- History :The Committee of Interns and Residents is the largest housestaff union in the United States, representing more than 13,000 residents in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. CIR contracts seek to improve housestaff...
and Public Citizen
Public Citizen
Public Citizen is a non-profit, consumer rights advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., United States, with a branch in Austin, Texas. Public Citizen was founded by Ralph Nader in 1971, headed for 26 years by Joan Claybrook, and is now headed by Robert Weissman.-Lobbying Efforts:Public Citizen...
in filing a petition with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 29, 1970...
asking for federal oversight of resident work hours as a matter of workplace safety. AMSA authored the Patient and Physician Safety and Protection Act of 2005, introduced by Senator Jon Corzine
Jon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...
(S. 1297) and Representative John Conyers
John Conyers
John Conyers, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1965 . He is a member of the Democratic Party...
(H.R.1228). AMSA and the Committee of Interns & Residents
Committee of Interns & Residents
- History :The Committee of Interns and Residents is the largest housestaff union in the United States, representing more than 13,000 residents in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. CIR contracts seek to improve housestaff...
also jointly maintain a website advocating for work hours reform called Hours Watch that presents the latest scientific research on the topic.
In addition to sponsoring events highlighting prospects for universal health care, medical technology and HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, AMSA also has organized the PharmFree Campaign
PharmFree
PharmFree is an ongoing campaign begun in 2002 by the American Medical Student Association , in collaboration with No Free Lunch, to organize political activism challenging the practice of pharmaceutical gifting to students and physicians....
to educate and train its members to interact professionally and ethically with the pharmaceutical industry.
In September, 2005, AMSA led the National Conference on the Financing of Undergraduate Medical Education, an event that brought together legislators, medical organizations, medical students and others to address skyrocketing medical debt
Medical debt
Medical debt refers to debt incurred by individuals due to health care costs and related expenses.Medical debt is different from other forms of debt, because it is usually incurred accidentally or faultlessly...
.
Annual convention
The location of the convention alternates from year to year between the DC metro area and other locations. At the Convention, are renowned Keynote Speakers and many healthcare related exhibitors.
Also, at convention the House Of Delegates (HOD) meets. The HOD is where AMSA's members take ownership of the Association. As AMSA's official policy-making body, the HOD is a delegation of AMSA members from each local medical chapter who meet once a year at the Annual Convention to vote on AMSA's policies and to elect our national officers. The HOD is open to all members of AMSA to speak and vote. The members debate the issues, make the amendments and cast the votes that shape AMSA's policies. Any member of AMSA has the ability to write and submit resolutions to the HOD.
Action committees
AMSA has ten Action Committees (AC's). While the Board of Trustees governs the organization, the Action Committees produce ideas and projects. They promote these areas of interest and associated projects to AMSA members on national, regional and local levels and are integral in helping AMSA maintain its view of medicine.- Education Action Committee (MedEd)
- Community and Environmental Health Action Committee (CEH)
- Humanistic Medicine Action Committee (HuMed)
- Global Action Committee
- Gender & Sexuality Action Committee
- Race, Ethnicity & Culture in Health Action Committee (REACH)
- Policy Action Committee
- Culture of Medicine Action Committee(COM)
- Grassroots Leadership Action Committee
- Student Life Action Committee
IFMSA Partnership
International Federation of Medical Students' Associations
The International Federation of Medical Students' Associations is a non governmental organization representing associations of medical students. It was founded in May 1951, and currently maintains 102 National Member Organizations from 95 countries across six continents...
(IFMSA). Since the merger, AMSA now is able to offer international exchanges for research and clinical electives to nearly 70 countries through SCORE and SCOPE respectively. The exchanges are available to medical student members. Research exchanges are also available to select pre-med members. AMSA also now sends a delegation of students to the semi-annual IFMSA General Assemblies (GA) of IFMSA.
PharmFree
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
for doctors, AMSA now urges both students and practising physicians to 'just say no' to all personal gifts from Pharmaceutical companies.
The PharmFree campaign has included a march on Pfizer offices in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where members assembled at the firm's front doors and dumped thousands of pens marked with the company's logo on the doorstep. Additionally, AMSA started the Counterdetailing Campaign in 2005 to encourage physicians-in-training to educate practicing physicians about alternative sources of information regarding pharmaceuticals. As "detailing" is the concept of drug representatives selling biased information to physicians, AMSA came up with the concept of "counterdetailing" as an opposing concept, for students to bring physicians evidence-based sources of information. In May 2007, AMSA released the PharmFree Scorecard, the first to evaluate medical schools according to their pharmaceutical interaction policies. Of all the medical schools in the United States, five received a grade of “A,” which translates into comprehensive school policy that restricts pharmaceutical representatives to both the medical school campus and its academic medical centers. Forty schools received an “F” for their lack of policies or encouraging physicians-in-training to obtain information from drug representatives.
Allies and supporters of this campaign include No Free Lunch
No Free Lunch (organization)
No Free Lunch is a US-based advocacy organization that holds that marketing methods employed by drug companies influence the way doctors and other healthcare providers prescribe medications...
, AARP
AARP
AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is the United States-based non-governmental organization and interest group, founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, PhD, a retired educator from California, and based in Washington, D.C. According to its mission statement, it is "a...
, Consumers Union
Consumers Union
Consumers Union is a non-profit organization best known as the publisher of Consumer Reports, based in the United States. Its mission is to "test products, inform the public, and protect consumers."...
, the Medical Letter, and the National Physicians Alliance
National Physicians Alliance
The National Physicians Alliance is a national, multi-specialty medical organization founded in 2005 by former leaders of the American Medical Student Association...
.
Campaign for Children's Health Care
AMSA is a partner in the Campaign for Children's Health CareCampaign for Children's Health Care
The Campaign for Children's Health Care is an American issue advocacy campaign dedicated to making high-quality, affordable health insurance coverage for all of America's children a top national priority...
, a multi-year campaign to raise awareness about the problem of uninsured children in America.
AMSA Academy
Each program fosters the value of health care must be patient-centered, effective, efficient, safe, equitable, and timely, as identified by the Institute of Medicine. We see our mission as training physician leaders in order to transform the face of medicine.
AMSA Foundation
The Foundation was established by AMSA in 1964 as a means to address issues in medical education and to provide low cost small emergency loans to medical students in need. In 1974, the Board of Trustees of the Association and the Board of Directors of the Foundation decided to broaden its role. Since then, the Foundation has functioned as the programming arm of AMSA.During its history, the AMSA Foundation has developed a national reputation for designing and conducting quality and innovative programming. It has managed over $75,000,000 of grant and contract funds during this period. Much of the organization's early work was performed under contract with the U.S. Public Health Service. From 1971 through 1980, the AMSA Foundation was the primary recruiter of physicians for the National Health Service Corps
National Health Service Corps
The National Health Service Corps is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, division of Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Clinician Recruitment and Service....
, Bureau of Medical Services and the Indian Health Service
Indian Health Service
Indian Health Service is an Operating Division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . IHS is responsible for providing medical and public health services to members of federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Natives...
.
The AMSA Foundation has also worked extensively with private foundations and corporations on programs designed to augment physician development and innovations in medical education. The organization was one of the original innovators of interdisciplinary health team training for medical and health professions students-an initiative that has continued to this day. AMSA has also launched programs in primary care, complementary and alternative medicine, international health, health policy, HIV/AIDS education, substance abuse prevention, breast cancer prevention, health services management and end of life care for medical and other health professions students.
Logo
To celebrate AMSA's 60th anniversary, a new logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
was designed to commemorate the occasion. Importantly, the Rod of Asclepius
Rod of Asclepius
The rod of Asclepius , also known as the asklepian, is an ancient symbol associated with astrology, the Greek god Asclepius, and with medicine and healing. It consists of a serpent entwined around a staff. The name of the symbol derives from its early and widespread association with Asclepius, the...
has been incorporated into a shield, beside which "AMSA" is spelled out (using a custom font
Font
In typography, a font is traditionally defined as a quantity of sorts composing a complete character set of a single size and style of a particular typeface...
which differs from the original logo). The letters AMSA rest upon the fully spelled out name of the organization, using the font "Today."
The crest contains four colours; from top right clockwise, they are and represent:
- Blue - (although it is not explicitly explained why the blue is in the shield, the colour blue in general represents AMSA's history and tradition, since its logo has always been blue)
- Purple - Purple illustrates the advocacy efforts on behalf of LGBTLGBTLGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
medical students and those discriminated against based on gender and sexuality - Red - Red was incorporated into the new logo to reflect the organization’s dedication to fighting the global AIDS pandemic
- Green - Green exemplifies AMSA’s commitment to a better environment and environmental health and the organization’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint
There is also a blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
as to the usage of the logo, including size, dimensions and colours. These can be found at AMSA's website.
External links
- AMSA.org - American Medical Student Association homepage
- AMSA.org - 'Marketing versus Research and Development'
- Hours Watch - Web site advocating for an evidence-based resident work hours standard in the US maintained by AMSA and the Committee of Interns & ResidentsCommittee of Interns & Residents- History :The Committee of Interns and Residents is the largest housestaff union in the United States, representing more than 13,000 residents in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. CIR contracts seek to improve housestaff...
- Houston Chronicle - 'Doctors examine ethics of drug industry gifts,' Darrin Schlegel (November 3, 2002)
- NPR - 'Women and Corporate Leadership' (2004)
- BMJJournals.com - 'The ethics of pharmaceutical industry relationships with medical students', Wendy A. Rogers, Peter R. Mansfield, Annette J. Braunack-Mayer and Jon N. Jureidini, British Medical JournalBritish Medical JournalBMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...
(2004) - CSMonitor.com - 'A pill they won't swallow', G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Christian Science Monitor (December 29, 2005)
- StudentBMJ.com - 'First Pharmfree Day launched', Raghav Chawla, Student British Medical Journal
- Congressional Quarterly - 'Groups Back Physician Gift Disclosure Measure,' Adam Bloedorn (October 23, 2007)
- Newsweek - 'Thanks, But No Thanks: Why more doctors, medical schools and hospitals are just saying no to drug-company promotions,' Anne Underwood (October 29, 2007)
- International Federation of Medical Students' Associations