NAPCRG LAUNCHES TRAINEE ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM
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* Madison Willenborg

In October 2015, NACPRG passed its first ever Trainee Program committed to providing tailored and personalized experiences specifically for trainees. Composed of 5 major pieces that are designed to give students, residents, and fellows an environment that cultivates their skill sets, the program also provides invaluable mentoring in specified fields.

The first part of this program is a preconference that made its pilot debut at the 2016 NAPCRG Annual Meeting—planned by Victoria Adewale of University of Virginia School of Medicine, and Madison Willenborg of William Jewell College. Two keynote speakers kicked off the preconference with short briefings on important topics to trainee development. Gillian Bartlett, Associate Professor and the Research and Graduate Program Director for the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University, spoke on “Making Meaningful Decisions about Your Future in Healthcare,” and Sarah Gebauer, a second year Academic Family Medicine Fellow and an adjunct instructor of Family Medicine at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, spoke on “The Bumpy and Unexpected Road to Primary Care Research.”

Next, four round-table discussions took place where trainees had the opportunity to speak with NAPCRG professionals on the topics of finding a mentor, leading a multidisciplinary career, grant writing, and research methodologies. These discussions provided trainees time to cultivate and focus on career development with guidance from professionals in the field. Finally, a “speed-dating” mentoring session was held in which trainees had short, one-on-one discussions with NACPRG members to network and ask questions specific to their field. This time allowed trainees a time to network, to ask questions of professionals, and bring perspective to their professional journeys. Overall, the conference saw great feedback and was warmly welcomed by the NAPCRG community.

A second portion of the Trainee Program is dedicated to promoting trainee attendance at the annual meeting. Ten trainees applied for and were awarded $1,000 training stipends. The stipend program promotes trainee involvement in NAPCRG and also encourages students to attend the Annual Meeting who may not be able to do so on their own.

Another piece of the Trainee Program is a dedication to trainee research. NAPCRG increased trainee research award prizes in order to recognize the immense work that students have tirelessly put into their research. This increase also promotes more trainees to bring their research, and possibly receive help or feedback on certain things they may need help with. Next, a special interest group (SIG) specifically composed of just trainees was created. This SIG will bring ideas to the chairs on the NAPCRG board of directors, provide a more tailored trainee experience at both the Annual Meeting and the preconference, and provide students engagement with their peers from around the world. Lastly, a membership subcommittee was created to provide backing to events and programs designed specifically for trainees. This committee was charged with creating the preconference, creating the stipend application program, and fostering the development of the trainee SIG, all of which will provide feedback and ideas for years to come.

The newly established Trainee Program provides an emphasis on fostering and cultivating trainee careers, because they are the physicians and researchers of tomorrow. NAPCRG holds to empowering and promoting students, residents, and fellows through personalized experiences not found anywhere else.

*   © 2017 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.