Why I Belong to SDCMS-CMA

I joined SDCMS-CMA during my first year of medical school because …

… I know that my involvement in organized medicine today can have a positive impact on the rest of my medical career.

… I understand that SDCMS and CMA are organizations that will serve as my advocates as I progress from medical student to practicing physician. Organized medicine has impacted issues that may affect me now such as financial aid and loan repayment, and will continue to influence matters that will impact me 10 years from now, including scope of practice issues and Medi-Cal reimbursements.

… As the student director on the SDCMS board of directors, I have the ability to make the UCSD medical student perspective heard in SDCMS policy discussions and decisions.

… I am able to take advantage of the student-specific benefits offered by SDCMS-CMA, including participation in the CMA’s medical student section.

… I have had the opportunity to attend SDCMS Foundation-funded legislative training trips to Sacramento, providing other medical students and me with the opportunity to lobby for healthcare issues with state senators, and observe first-hand how organized medicine exerts its presence in the state capitol building.

… The SDCMS Foundation also fills important needs in physician staffing and fiscal support at the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic; a project that has been one of the best experiences during medical school for me and many of my classmates. [Shameless plug: if you are an MD and would like to volunteer some of your time to working with underserved populations and teaching medical students, we’d love your help! Specialists wanted …]

… The monthly edition of San Diego Physician magazine and SDCMS’ email newsletter “News You Can Use” educate me on important topics in county and state legislation that are impacting healthcare … and also provide for great procrastination from studying.

… As my loan obligations continue to grow, I am able to fully appreciate the discounts on car insurance and the ePocrates clinical reference guides that SDCMS-CMA provides to its members.

… Many UCSD medical students choose to do their residencies and practice in the state of California, and I recognize that working through CMA will be an effective way for us to have a voice in state policy changes regarding topics important to our work.

… Whether or not I choose to eventually practice in California, I will graduate from medical school understanding the importance of organized medicine, how I can participate in it, and how it can subsequently impact both the broader scope of healthcare and the day-to-day aspects of my medical career.

… I act under the belief that SDCMS’ vision should be “Physicians and Medical Students United for a Healthy San Diego,” and want the physicians of San Diego County to realize that we hope to use our small amount of influence as future physicians to reach the shared goal of improving the health of the residents of San Diego County and beyond.