As a medical student and PGY1 internal medicine intern, my involvement with the Academy was minimal. I had never attended an Annual Assembly or tuned into any of the virtual educational sessions. Upon starting my PGY2 year, I initially struggled with changing my gears and “thinking like a physiatrist.” I realized I had a large knowledge gap about rehab medicine topics and an understanding about the breadth of the specialty. I found myself frequently visiting the AAPM&R website and increasingly relying on its numerous resources such as PM&R Knowledge NOW®, the online learning portal as well as articles written by prior residents from the PHiT newsletter. It was refreshing to read about other residents’ experiences and discover a community to help guide my physiatry journey.
I became increasingly curious about how I could further contribute to the Academy and build a bigger presence for resident members. As a PGY2, my residency program offered the opportunity to become a PHiT Ambassador. The PHIT Ambassador position allowed me to learn more about the inner workings of the Academy and participate in unique volunteer opportunities. My favorite event to participate in was the AAMC Virtual Specialty Forum, in which I was able to chat with early medical students with little to no exposure to PM&R. Additionally, I volunteered as an ultrasound model at the Annual Assembly which allowed me to directly learn about salivary gland Botox injections and common wrist sports injuries (for free!).
Last year, AAPM&R held the inaugural Resident Retreat, an incredible, sponsored opportunity for PGY2s to come together for a course taught by national physiatry leaders. Through this retreat, I spent a warm weekend in Chicago where I made friendships with residents from across the nation and collaborated in highly interactive discussions with like-minded colleagues. This experience was critical to my growing relationship with the Academy and motivated me to apply for the PHIT Council, for which I am now serving as secretary!
One of my main duties as PHiT secretary is editor of the quarterly PHiT newsletter. This year the newsletter will focus on four main seasonal themes:
- Winter - Wellness & Reducing Burnout
- Spring - Advocacy
- Summer - Transition & Adaptability
- Fall - Technology & Digital Advances
We have exciting resident-written content coming your way so stay tuned! Additionally, the PHiT Council recently held our winter meeting at AAPM&R’s headquarters where we discussed upcoming goals and brainstormed ideas for the Annual Assembly. One of the major takeaways was expanding our opportunities and resources for the rapidly growing community of medical students and young physiatrists. This year, we are very excited to launch a new Medical Student Ambassador Program. Applications opened this week.
Over the course of a few years, I have gone from using AAPM&R as a content resource to becoming a member volunteer, now serving as secretary of the PHiT Council. I am grateful to the Academy for the numerous opportunities to learn about physiatry, collaborate with my peers and help contribute to an ever-growing resident community.