Internal Medicine Interest Group of the Month: Drexel University College of Medicine
With one of the largest enrollments in the nation, Drexel University College of Medicine proudly graduates more than 250 students each year, including as many as 66 students who matched in internal medicine in 2011. The school's Internal Medicine Interest Group consistently boasts high student participation, which we hope contributes to students' early and continued interest in pursuing a career in internal medicine.
The interest group is organized by student leaders, Farah Noorani, Neha Sirohi, and Daniel Wahl, all of whom are third-year medical students and aspiring internal medicine residents. We are honored to have Dr. Amy Fuchs, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, the internal medicine pathway director, and a practicing infectious disease specialist, as our academic advisor. Not only has Dr. Fuchs supported us in planning our organization's major events, but she has also helped us network with internists and subspecialists to promote shadowing opportunities and mentor the members of the interest group.
The interest group is proud to sponsor four major events each
year. As the school year commences, we host a booth and poster
presentation along with a medicine trivia game at the fall
activities fair. Each year we are joined by ACP Representative John
Derrickson. Mr. Derrickson assists us in recruiting students to our
interest group and educates them on the benefits of ACP student
Membership.
Priyanka Teckchandani, Anand Kumar, David A. Bernstein, MD (IMIG Advisor), & Jonathan Richina at Drexel's 2012 activities fair.
With his help, 32% of Drexel University medical students now possess an ACP Membership, with a total of 323 students as of last December. This past fall, our physician question and answer panel drew more than 100 first- and second-year students in attendance. From lifestyle to day-to-day patient care scenarios, the students are provided a solid overview of what internal medicine and its subspecialties have to offer. As students ponder over which field is the right choice, we offer a mentor-mentee dinner, during which they can meet a mentor one-on-one from any division of the Department of Medicine. Each student has the opportunity to delve deeper into the specialties of their choice. Finally, to celebrate our newly matched fourth-year students' success, we host a post-match question and answer session each spring. From discussing personal experiences that drove them to pursue Internal Medicine to extracurricular activities and research that made them stronger applicants, the fourth-year students share any and all advice. Our annual goal is to provide students with access to firsthand knowledge about internal medicine as a career, and we achieve it with the variety of events offered.
Hands-on experience always leaves a bigger impression than the information students hear at meetings. With this in mind, the interest group also offers a year-long shadowing program to allow students to experience the day-to-day schedule of an internal medicine physician. In this program students experience the depth and breadth of internal internal medicine and its specialties. Five to ten students participate each week and gain exposure to patient encounters and invasive procedures they may not otherwise experience until their clinical years.
From clinical exposure in the shadowing program to information sessions and one-on-one physician mentoring, the Drexel University College of Medicine Internal Medicine Interest Group provides pre-clinical medical students with resources to develop their knowledge of a future in internal medicine.
Farah Noorani, Class of 2014
Neha Sirohi, Class of 2014
Daniel Wahl, Class of 2014
Drexel COM IMIG Leaders
E-mail: ffn23@drexel.edu