WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?
THE BENEFITS OF SAEM MEMBERSHIP FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS By Nick Giordano and Erin Simon on behalf of the RAMS Membership Committee With the growing trend of medical schools turning to pass/ fail grading systems and the revision of United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 to follow with a non-numerical score, extra curriculars have come to the forefront of applications for residency. Additionally, with the integration of socially distant technologies and internships, so many more opportunities to network and engage in the emergency medicine community have presented themselves. Now, more than ever before, building a professional network to learn more about emergency medicine and gain experience to bolster your residency application is paramount. SAEM’s new website now streamlines opportunities for mentorship, leadership, advocacy, and education. Below we have highlighted a couple of these resources:
"WORKING ALONGSIDE SENIOR MEMBERS WITH LIKE INTERESTS IS A NATURAL WAY TO FIND MENTORSHIP WITHIN THE SAEM COMMUNITY AND BUILD UP YOUR NATIONAL REPUTATION." Mentorship
There are 30 interest groups within SAEM and that number continues to grow. Except for some career-specific groups (e.g., Research Directors, Vice Chairs, etc.) almost all interest groups are amenable to having medical students join. If the objectives of a group align themselves with your interest, reaching out and joining as a member to work on group initiatives will not only give you leadership experience in your field, but also serves as a great networking opportunity. Working alongside senior members with like interests is a natural way to find mentorship within the SAEM community and build up your national reputation. We also have an active emergency medicine (EM) resident membership base. Working alongside a current EM resident is a great way to learn about how you can best prepare yourself for an EM residency and source information about EM residency programs you might be interested in applying to.
Leadership
If you are looking for some more formalized leadership opportunities through SAEM there is a dedicated program for medical students to get exposure to emergency medicine. The Medical Student Ambassadors Program (MSA) is always looking for interested students to join in the planning, coordination, and execution of SAEM’s Annual Meeting. This group of medical students acts as liaisons to speakers during the annual meeting, and the premeeting audio/visual
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