American Medical Student Association
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|
| Motto | It takes more than medical school to make a physician |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1950 |
| Type | Student organization, Professional organization |
| Headquarters | Sterling, Virginia |
| Location | |
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Membership
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35 000 medical and pre-medical students, residents, and physicians |
|
Official language
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English |
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President
|
Kelly Thibert DO, MPH |
| Affiliations | International Federation of Medical Students' Associations |
| Website | http://www.amsa.org |
The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), founded in 1950 and based in Washington, D.C., is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. AMSA is a student-governed, national organization. They have a membership of 68,000 medical students, premedical students, interns, medical residents and practicing physicians from across the country.
AMSA's action committees and interest groups help expose medical students to information on subjects not generally covered in traditional curricula, and is the only major national medical organization in the US that accepts no sponsorship or funding from any pharmaceutical company.
In November 2007, AMSA leaders decided upon four strategic priorities:
The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) was founded in 1950, as the Student American Medical Association (SAMA), under the auspices of the American Medical Association (AMA). The main purpose of the organization was to provide medical students a chance to participate in organized medicine.
The late 1960s saw dramatic changes in the organization's objectives and philosophy. In 1967, AMSA established its independence from the AMA, became student-governed, and began to raise its own voice on a variety of socio-medical issues, including civil rights, abortion rights, universal health care and Vietnam.
In a collaboration with medical educators that began in 1968, AMSA proposed numerous reforms and model curricula, to transform medical education in order to make the profession more responsive to community and societal needs. AMSA was also instrumental in the introduction of the original Family Practice Act of 1970, and supported legislation establishing the National Health Service Corps.
AMSA has led a campaign to reform medical resident work hours, long a controversial issue in the field. In 2001 AMSA joined the Committee of Interns & Residents and Public Citizen in filing a petition with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration asking for federal oversight of resident work hours as a matter of workplace safety. AMSA authored the Patient and Physician Safety and Protection Act of 2005, introduced by Senator Jon Corzine (S. 1297) and Representative John Conyers (H.R.1228). AMSA and the Committee of Interns & Residents also jointly maintain a website advocating for work hours reform called Hours Watch that presents the latest scientific research on the topic.
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