You could say TAFP’s first-ever Student and Resident Summit was a hit, full of networking opportunities, education, and an evening social unlike any other. More than 300 Texas medical students, family medicine residents, physicians, faculty, and other family medicine enthusiasts came together August 24 in Grapevine for a day full of career-building events. And thanks to the TAFP Foundation and its many donors, a number of those students and residents received funding to travel to Grapevine and attend.
Before the summit even began, more than 80 people from around the state met for the Family Medicine Leadership Collaborative facilitated by the Faculty Development Center as well as the Clerkship and Residency Coordinators Conference, held all day Friday, August 23. These were attended by leaders of Texas family medicine educational organizations including department chairs, residency program directors, administrators, faculty, clerkship coordinators, and other family medicine champions. The groups spent the day sharing experiences and ideas, discussing common challenges, and hearing from various speakers.
Friday ended with a networking social unlike any other in TAFP’s history, complete with friendship bracelet making stations, a champagne toast to celebrate the inaugural summit, and a packed house of around 150 people. Summit registrants were encouraged to arrive early and attend the social to get their free summit T-shirts. Thank you to the Texas Beef Council for sponsoring the social.
The summit began Saturday morning with a bang, thanks to a welcome from TAFP President Terrance Hines, MD, followed by a breakfast keynote from TAFP Parliamentarian Adrian Billings, MD, PhD. Billings, a rural community physician in Alpine, spoke about his experience being a rural family physician, the sharp decline in rural hospitals in Texas in recent history, and the stark need for clinicians in rural Texas.
Medical students and residents then explored the Residency and Career Fair, which boasted 20 Texas residency programs and six companies featured in the career fair. After a fair break, the students and residents split into their respective tracks for the morning. The student track learned about loan repayment, global health and rural medicine, and leadership in family medicine, while the resident track focused on onboarding and financial management.
All attendees came back together for a lunch break, which began with a TAFP 101 from TAFP Board Chair Emily Briggs, MD, MPH, followed by a keynote panel on exploring careers in family medicine. The panel was led by TAFP board member Amanda Mohammed-Strait, MD, and also included TAFP members Mark Ambler, MD, Vicky Bakhos Webb, MD, MBA, and Lesca Hadley, MD, MBA.
After another break for the Residency and Career Fair, the student attendees learned about the Match, CV writing, social media, and had the opportunity to participate in Family Medicine Speed Dating with TAFP members who hold a variety of positions in family medicine. For the afternoon, the resident track included speakers on contracts, value-based care, and research opportunities. Additionally, more than 30 students and residents participated in a Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS) Workshop put on by the National Procedures Institute.
The TAFP Foundation graciously funded 130 medical students and family medicine residents attending the summit through the newly established Medical Student and Resident Engagement Fund. Thank you to all Foundation donors for making summit attendance happen for so many!
Between the large group in attendance and feedback received through a post-event survey, we’d say the first TAFP Student and Resident Summit was a huge success and will hopefully become an annual event. Thank you to everyone who attended. Next up — Annual Session and Primary Care Summit!