Ohio State's Department of Family and Community Medicine prides itself on the active engagement of faculty, staff and students in learning about and exploring family medicine. This section highlights the areas where students and faculty investigate the family medicine medical specialty outside of any defined course.
Student Life
Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) is student led, but advised by Dr. Allison Macerollo. It is the largest student organization at Ohio State, hosting an array of lectures, workshops and outreach experiences. As a recognized Program of Excellence by the American Academy of Family Physicians, our FMIG is distinguished for its robust experiences at all student levels.
The Family Medicine Interest Group actively promotes involvement of first and second year medical students through workshops, meetings, lecture series and community service. The goals of FMIG are to:
- Increase awareness of and interest in family medicine
- Educate medical students about the specialty of family medicine
- Assist students in finding a family physician mentor
- Provide opportunities for leadership involvement
- Assist in residency searches and understanding the Match
- Distribute information about family medicine
- Facilitate interaction among the medical students interested in family medicine
The experiences listed below are a combination of student led or department initiatives.
Building Blocks series – During each block of Part 1 a faculty member is selected to speak about a clinical topic related to of the eight blocks, such as acute renal failure during the GI/Renal block. They also spend time discussing how Family Physicians evaluate and treat diseases seen in that block to demonstrate the breadth of Family Medicine.
Workshops – Students are exposed to clinical topics and procedures in Family Medicine through our robust workshop series, which includes topics such as phlebotomy, joint injections, Ob/GYN, and DO manipulation. Our workshops often fill within 30 minutes of posting to the student body to represent the popularity.
Outreach – Ohio State medical students participate in shadowing with the Mount Carmel Mobile Medical Coach, serving the homeless and hosting diabetes screening at the Columbus Free Clinic. Students interact with providers in Family Medicine in each of these experiences.
Primary Care Week – Student Family Medicine leaders and students host five daily sessions throughout the week highlighting different aspects of primary care. At least one session is a panel of primary care providers.
Any student who thinks they might be interested in family medicine is welcome to join FMIG. All FMIG events and membership are open and free to all Ohio State University medical students. Contact Dr. Macerollo if interested in joining: Allison.Macerollo@osumc.edu.
Each department in the College of Medicine provides information and experiences about their specialty during set times during Part 1 of the Lead.Serve.Inspire. curriculum. Dr. Allison Macerollo provides a one hour lecture to all first year students in October of Med 1. Dr. Macerollo also leads two eight-hour workshops highlighting the breadth of family medicine through outside speakers and hands on workshops. Each workshop is attended by 20 medical students.
Evening events are provided to third and fourth year medical students who are considering a career in Family Medicine. The series starts in February of Med 3 to begin discussing the scheduling process for Med 4 and planning for a successful residency interview season. In March, family medicine faculty celebrate Med 4 Family Medicine matches by attending the Ohio State College of Medicine Match Day celebration. In April, Med 3 students come together to begin discussing personal statements and to ensure all upcoming fourth year students are aware of and how to apply and obtain funding for AAFP Resident and Student National Conference. In July, our faculty ensures students are clear about what to expect at the AAFP Conference and writing an excellent personal statement. The last event of the year is in September, with local programs sending faculty and residents to discuss preparing for interview season. Each student is offered individual counseling throughout the year to assist with determining programs to consider, competitive applications and effective interviewing.