American Medical Student Association Seeks Executive Director

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 29 Nov 2007 - 1:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the nation's largest, independent medical student organization, and the AMSA Foundation announces that it is accepting applications for an executive director with 10-15 years of demonstrated management experience.

"This is a unique, once in a career opportunity, to shape our nation's future physician leaders, the medical profession, and health care at large," says AMSA National President Michael J. Ehlert, M.D. "The association and foundation boards seek an individual to provide strategic leadership in a highly cohesive, committed, and activist culture."

James Slayton, M.D., medical director at PacifiCare Behavioral Health and AMSA Foundation Board of Director president, says, "AMSA has a long history of providing leadership opportunities to students, some of whom even take a year off from medical school to work in the national office on issues of great importance to both medicine and our nation as a whole."

In its 57-year history, AMSA has had great programmatic successes and provided students with opportunities to work on a variety of projects, including:

- Changing the Match algorithm in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) in favor of students, requiring contract disclosure from residency programs, and adding student representation on the NRMP Board of Directors.

- Introducing federal legislation to limit resident work hours in order to improve working conditions and reducing medical errors, which resulted in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to change their accreditation requirements to include tougher standards on resident work hours.

- In 2002, AMSA became the first national medical organization to decline all pharmaceutical advertisements and sponsorships. The PharmFree Campaign encourages students to use unbiased sources of information on pharmaceuticals and to think critically about the drug industry's marketing practices to physicians. It has been featured in major news outlets including Newsweek, CNN, LA Times, and the Washington Post.

Previously, AMSA has been responsible for placing students in community clinics, migrant health centers, Native American communities, rural and other medically underserved areas to expose them to career opportunities in community health, and creating community-oriented primary care and generalist physicians in training apprenticeships.

The ideal executive candidate will have the ability to connect with, mentor, and lead physicians-in-training. Additionally, s/he will have superior revenue generation skills; and will be diplomatic, resourceful, self-aware, and committed to the inclusiveness of a diverse membership.

AMSA, headquartered in Reston, Virginia, is committed to improving health care, improving the welfare of medical students, interns, residents and post-MD/DO trainees, and advancing the profession of medicine. AMSA has a combined annual budget of $7 million and a full-time staff of nearly 30.

Interested candidates should review the complete job announcement and instructions on how to apply by visiting http://www.transitionceo.com/.

About the American Medical Student Association

The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), with more than a half-century history of medical student activism, is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. With more than 68,000 members, including medical and premedical students, residents and practicing physicians, AMSA is committed to improving medical training as well as advancing the profession of medicine. AMSA focuses on four strategic priorities, including universal healthcare, disparities in medicine, diversity in medicine and transforming the culture of medical education.

American Medical Student Association

• Additional
• References
• Citations