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About the OSR

The OSR is the student branch of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The AAMC is comprised of, and represents undergraduate and graduate medical education in the U.S. Membership includes the Council of Deans (COD), Council of Academic Societies (CAS), Council of Teaching Hospitals (COTH), the Organization of Resident Representatives (ORR), and the OSR. Other groups within the AAMC of particular interest to medical students include the Group on Educational Affairs (GEA) and the Group on Student Affairs (GSA). The GSA is subdivided into committees representing admissions, student financial assistance, minority affairs, student affairs, and registrars.

The OSR is charged with the representation of the undergraduate medical student body of the U.S. to the academic medicine community. Unlike other student organizations (e.g., AMA-MSS, SNMA, or AMSA), who represent their membership, the OSR's constituency comprises all medical students. The concerns of the OSR lie exclusively within academic medicine and medical education.

The OSR's representatives are from each of the 130 allopathic medical schools in the United States. The seventeen medical schools from Canada are also invited to participate in OSR activities, though they do not have voting privileges. OSR's Administrative Board is comprised of the Chair, Chair-Elect, Past-Chair, five National Delegates and four Regional Chairs. In addition, the OSR appoints students to serve as liaisons to various national committees of import to the AAMC.

The OSR has three AAMC staff members in Washington DC, who oversee the administrative aspects of the OSR and assist in liaison to other AAMC divisions; they are tremendous resources and you should get to know them.

As an OSR representative, your role is two-fold. First, you must communicate the opinions of your student body to the national officers so that the OSR can effectively represent medical students on a national level.

Secondly, you can take OSR national priorities and objectives from your colleagues and the national level and implement them at your own school.

The AAMC is an extensive organization with resources devoted to every aspect of academic medicine. Feel free to get involved on a national level, choose a specific interest, or simply bring your ideas back to your institution. If you have any questions, ask your colleagues, including your representatives on the Administrative Board.