How to find advocacy opportunities in medical school

Turn your passion into action

Learn how to be an advocate with AMA training

Become a Member

Medical students have incredible potential to create change in medicine. For many, however, the question is how to put their passion into action.

Medical students may have prior advocacy exposure as undergraduates or they may be brand new to it, but no matter your experience level, your passion and dedication is the fuel you’ll need to start.

• Identify issues: Finding the issues affecting medical students, physicians and/or patients that you feel passionately about is a great first step to becoming an advocate. 
• Join a campus group: Participating in student affinity groups and governance bodies can give you a feel for advocacy work. 
• Look outside campus: When you feel ready, you can expand to engage with area, state or nationwide groups on the issues that matter to you. 

The American Medical Association offers events and training for medical students to learn how to be an advocate, joining with nearly 52,000 medical student members representing every medical school in the country. With an AMA membership, medical students can take advantage of these opportunities:

Events

• MSS Annual Meeting
  • Connect with peers at the Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD).
• Advocacy in Action Workshop
  • Stand with medical student members of the AMA in this annual national grassroots effort to address the issues of student loan debt, prior authorization and telehealth.  

Training

• Advocacy on-demand
  • Learn how to become an effective public health advocate. Complete training at your convenience anytime, anywhere.
• Medical Student Section (MSS)
  • Join the MSS, which strives to be medical students' voice within the AMA for improving medical education and advocating for the future of medicine.