OSR Chair's Update

AAMC-OSR Administrative Board Update

September 2009

2009 AAMC Annual Meeting - The 2009 AAMC Annual Meeting, November 6-11 in Boston is fast approaching. The OSR portion of the meeting will begin at 7:30am Friday, November 6 and conclude at 12:00pm Sunday, November 8. The OSR Administrative Board has been working hard to provide a full and exciting program. Feedback from last year's Annual Meeting Survey has helped us shape planned sessions and activities, which currently include a joint plenary with the Organization of Resident Representatives: "Student Loan Debt and Repayment-What's Behind the Numbers?" and a joint session with the AAMC Group on Student Affairs student mental health services and wellness.

Now is a great time to think about running for a National Delegate position or for Chair-Elect of the OSR at the Annual Meeting. You can contact any of the current Ad Board members to learn more about their positions or read about them online.

Register for the meeting as soon as possible to take advantage of reduced hotel rates. The AAMC has secured an additional hotel room block for medical student meeting attendees at a much lower rate than the 3 main hotels. Rooms are also available at The Hampton Inn for $109.00 per night (this option is only available to medical student attendees). The Hampton Inn is approximately 2 miles from the meeting site, but the hotel will provide a free shuttle service along with complementary breakfast and internet service.

Charting Outcomes and the Match - The NRMP and the AAMC have released the third edition of "Charting Outcomes in the Match." (PDF, 281 pages) This report is a joint research effort by the NRMP and the AAMC in response to requests from students and their advisors for data on how applicant qualifications affect match success. Based on the results of the 2009 Main Residency Match, the third edition of this publication includes data for one additional specialty (Neurological Surgery) and two new measures (number of work and number of volunteer experiences).

AAMC June Leadership Forum - The second AAMC Leadership forum was held June 24th to discuss "Health Care Reform." Five representatives from the OSR participated with additional AAMC representatives including residents, Deans, the AAMC Board of Directors, and several professional development groups (GSA, GEA, etc) to discuss the future of healthcare in America and how changes will impact academic medicine and more broadly, all of us as health care providers and consumers. Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and concerns with us to bring to the Forum. The details of health care reform are still unfolding on Capitol Hill and the OSR Legislative Affairs team will continue to send updates over the OSR listserve to keep us informed.

OSR Mental Health Services Survey - The AAMC-OSR Mental Health Services Survey, administered during April and May, assessed the availability and affordability of mental health services at AAMC member medical schools as well as mental health issues faced by medical students. The results will be used by the GSA Committee on Student Affairs and the OSR Administrative Board to help develop AAMC guidelines and products for medical schools to improve mental health services. The data is being reviewed and summary findings will be shared during the AAMC Annual Meeting in Boston in November 2009. Thanks to all OSR representatives who completed the survey and forwarded the link to their school listserves.

Scramble Working Group - The AAMC and NRMP are continuing work to improve the Scramble, creating a new system that utilizes ERAS to aid unmatched applicants in pairing with programs that have unfilled residency positions after the match. Presentations (PDF, 23 pages) outlining the proposed "Managed Scramble" were given at the spring GSA/OSR meetings. A definite date for conversion to the new scramble process has not been finalized, but the current goal aims for implementation in the 2011 or 2012 Match.

ACGME Congress on Duty Hours - The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education hosted a Duty Hours Congress June 11-12 in Chicago to provide the ACGME Task Force with formal position papers and testimony regarding the Institute of Medicine's Report on Duty Hours. OSR Chair-Elect, Katie Spina, attended the meeting on behalf of the AAMC-OSR. The AAMC has also sent a letter (PDF, 4 pages) to the ACGME with its input on duty hours.

OSR Online Community - The OSR Online Community (Blackboard) continues to include discussions sparked by regional meetings, project information from different committees, profiles of OSR reps, and more. This tool can improve our ability as a national OSR to communicate and coordinate efforts, but this potential cannot be realized without the consistent efforts of OSR representatives. Please take the time to log in at aamc.blackboard.com, participate in online discussions, update your profile, upload a photo, and explore additional tools. The Ad Board will continue to review the content and format of the site, so contact any Board member with feedback. For assistance logging in, email Julie Taylor at jtaylor@aamc.org.

Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS) - VSAS is an AAMC application designed to make it easier for medical students to apply for senior electives at other U.S. medical schools. This service requires students to submit just one application for all schools, effectively reducing paperwork, miscommunication, and time for students and school staff. Expanding upon last year's ten-school pilot, this year 64 U.S. schools used VSAS to accept elective applications. All other U.S. schools will continue to use their own application system. If you participated in VSAS this year, please give us feedback to help improve the system as it continues to develop.

Guidelines for Use of Medical Interpreter Services - The Organization of Student Representatives has developed a resource for medical students who need additional guidance in the use of a medical interpreter during interactions with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) patients. Students can use the medical interpreter card during encounters with LEP patients as a basic reference for interpreter options and their appropriate use.

ACGME US Residency Program Match Data - A document (PDF, 3 pages) articulating the principles of gathering program-specific match data.

Cost of Medical School Education - GSA-COFSA (Committee on Student Financial Assistance) and AAMC Student Financial Services have developed FIRST (Financial Information, Resources, Services, and Tools), an internet portal including information appropriate to the different stages of the continuum of medical education tailored to the individual.

GLBTI "Effective Practices" - Based on GSA and OSR surveys regarding GLBT issues in medical education, recommendations (PDF, 2 pages) from the GSA and OSR regarding institutional programs and educational activities in the areas of human sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity were approved and sent to member schools. This document reflects the need for institutions to follow good educational practices, to create respectful learning environments, and to graduate students who provide good patient care to a diverse patient population. A resource of "effective practices" is also available online.

Additional Updates on the activities and projects of the OSR Administrative Board are available via the OSR Web site.

Matt Rudy
AAMC-OSR Chair
Medical College of Georgia
mrudy@mail.mcg.edu

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