The University of Maryland Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) is a student-run organization that plays a very important role in introducing students to the specialty of Family Medicine.
Thanks to the Maryland Academy of Family Physicians (MAFP) and the MAFP Foundation’s generous financial support, the UM FMIG chapter has been able to help medical students investigate the different facets of Family Medicine through numerous presentations and panels. FMIG's Lunchtime Talk Series has included lectures on topics such as, "What Family Doctors Look Like Today" and "Operation Lifeline: A Look Back at Hurricane Katrina Medical Relief Work." We have also invited physicians from other areas of Maryland to participate in panel discussions. For example, this year we have hosted discussions comparing & contrasting the practice of Family Medicine in rural versus urban settings, as well as the various “subspecialties” of Family Medicine.
Students also have the opportunity to get hands-on experience during our popular "Procedures Nights." Under the guidance of faculty and residents of the Department of Family Medicine, first- and second-year students get a head-start on their clinical years by learning how to suture, perform pap smears, evaluate knee pain and take appropriate vital signs.
UM’s FMIG chapter hopes to continue working with the MAFP to introduce students to Family Medicine early in the medical school curriculum.
For additional information, please contact Katye Conniff at kconn004@umaryland.edu