American Medical Student Association

Overview

The new AMSA Integrative Medicine Scholars Program is an online series of interactive lectures and activities that widens participants’ perspective on integrative medicine topics. The scholars will participate in sessions on a broad range of integrative and alternative medicine topics including nutrition, herbal medicine, and various eastern healing traditions lead by amazing physicians and practitioners in this field. In addition, each scholar will become skilled at using current medical literature to evaluate relevant topics in integrative medicine. Scholars will also create educational projects such as power point presentations, games, videos, etc. These projects will be made available to medical students nation-wide for their use in raising awareness of integrative medicine on their campuses. Each scholar will be required and financially supported to experience a new integrative medicine modality of their choice that they have not yet experienced. Examples include a yoga class, a tai chi class, acupuncture treatment, etc. The scholars will write and share a reflection of the experience. This program will foster collaboration, excitement, learning, and community as it experiences different ideas about health and healing.

Tentative Curriculum

The program will consist of 1-2 hour online webinar meetings every third week. It runs from October 2012 through April 2013. The online meetings will be run by a guest speaker or a panel of speakers on a given topic. Prior to the meeting, scholars will be expected to read literature assigned by the speakers. The presentations with be interactive and scholars are expected and encouraged to participate and share. Evidence based medicine assignments, such as journal searches and research analysis/presentation, will be included in each session. Scholars will be expected to read scholarly articles and do one journal search activity that he/she will share with the group during the year. Each scholar will create a project in a box that will be available to all AMSA medical students to share with their campuses to broaden the outreach of the program. Feedback will be obtained from each participant after each session via a web-based evaluation form. This will be used to improve the program in the future.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the program, students should be able to:

• Develop broader knowledge in a variety of topics in integrative medicine
• Provide exposure and experience to alternative medicine modalities to all scholars
• Increase participants’ fluency to search and analyze medical literature
• Practice and learn to be a clinician educator by creating a project in a box on an integrative medicine topic of the scholar’s choice

Tentative Schedule

• TBA

Participant Expectations

• Attendance is necessary. No more than two absences will be allowed during the year.
• Participants will read assigned readings prior to the webinar meeting.
• Participants will do one scholarly article search and present their findings to the group.
• Participants will create an integrative medicine project in a box that will be available to all medical students to use to increase knowledge of integrative medicine at their home institution.
• Participants are expected to participate in one integrative medicine modality that they have not tried in the past. They will be financially supported to have the experience and be required to write and share a reflection of their experience with the group.

Selection Criteria

The Integrative Medicine Scholars will be a small and versatile group of passionate individuals with different interests, experiences, and levels of knowledge of integrative medicine.

• Availability: We are especially interested in students who are both motivated to fully participate in this rigorous academic program and who have availability in their schedule to do so. We believe that participants will benefit most from this intensive approach, but we also recognize that students have other important and competing academic and extracurricular interests and activities.

• Team Player: A desire to engage with and contribute to the group is essential. The program will foster an online community for students to work together and with experts in order to gain new perspectives, knowledge, and clinical skills.

• Innovation in Education: Students who have the curiosity to ask why the status quo exists and the creativity to challenge it in productive ways. Students who want to share their newfound knowledge with their colleagues.

• We do NOT ask for experience in integrative medicine or education. It's great if you have it, great if you don't. We are more interested in your enthusiasm, willingness to learn, and time commitment.

Application Process

• Applications Due: September 14, 2012
• Selection Date: September 21, 2012
• Program Fees: $30 due October 1, 2012