March 2020
Congratulations to our graduating seniors and those who matched! For those who are gearing up to take board exams, best of luck! For everyone impacted by COVID-19, this is a scary, eventful, but also exciting time to be going into healthcare. We can make a difference.
The OSR Student Affairs Committee has been laying the groundwork for two projects: a wellness project collecting data on student perceived wellness during preclinical vs. clinical years, and the other exploring possibilities to allow disadvantaged students access to board prep materials. We hope to have more student involvement in Student Affairs working groups as well. In addition, the AdBoard had been working behind the scenes to prepare relevant sessions for PDC 2020. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a cancellation with concern for participant safety and health. Please be on the lookout for online materials related to the conference in the coming weeks.
The Committee on Student Affairs (COSA) convened last week regarding next steps for COVID-19. Alex sent an email last week outlining the major conversations going on at the AAMC. These include: VSAS and out of town travel (including required OOT changes in certain specialties), licensing exam changes and cancellations, Match day and graduation changes, quarantine and rotations, as well as student safety and exposure risk. Check out that e-mail for more specifics. If you have a specific concern, please use this link, as we hope to streamline concerns to one area. As you know, this issue is dynamic and unprecedented. Student Affairs is working hard to understand which measures protect the student learning experience while preventing compromise to student safety. Please stay tuned for more updates as they become known.
Please do not hesitate to contact me directly if you have concerns regarding Student Affairs or if I can support you in any way. Your voices are important.
Adiba Matin
OSR National Delegate for Student Affairs
University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine
ampzb@mail.umkc.edu