How's the AAFP National Conference - Aug?

[bluebird79]

Hi Everyone.

I'm thinking about going to the Residents' and Students' National Conf this August in Kansas City. Just wondering if anyone out there has actually been. Is it worth the planning and effort to get out there? What parts did you find valuable or not?

Thanks!

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[iatrosB]

Hi Everyone.

I'm thinking about going to the Residents' and Students' National Conf this August in Kansas City. Just wondering if anyone out there has actually been. Is it worth the planning and effort to get out there? What parts did you find valuable or not?

Thanks!

I went last year and had a lot of fun. The value of the conference depends on your year in school. It is really valuable to upcoming M 3s and M 4s.

 

[elizabeth5863]

I'm thinking about going to the Residents' and Students' National Conf this August in Kansas City. Just wondering if anyone out there has actually been. Is it worth the planning and effort to get out there? What parts did you find valuable or not?

I would definitely go if you're an upcoming M4 and applying to residency this year. I went only for 1 out of the 3 days (since I was also studying for Step 2CK at the time). I spent that entire day going to as many residency booths as possible (esp. for the residency programs in areas I was interested in but didn't know anything about, and programs that I wasn't sure about applying to). I ended up applying to programs I didn't initially even think about applying to, and did not apply to those that I was initially interested in. It's definitely worth it if you have the time and money to go. My school paid for the registration, hotel, and transportation costs, which helped. (I hope your school would too). I would definitely visit the booths for programs that you're not too sure about applying to (to help you make the decision about whether or not to apply). As for the programs that you're definitely going to apply to, no need to visit those booths if you're time-limited.

Good luck!

 

[bluebird79]

Thanks for the info. I should have said that I'm an M1 with an interest in Fam Med. I attend a school that does not have a strong FM showing. Do you think it'd still be valuable for me to attend, or are the residency booths the big draw? ... I'm not sure that the booths and the various programs' nuances would be that meaningful to me at this point...recommendations for what to best check out as an M1?

 

[elizabeth5863]

Thanks for the info. I should have said that I'm an M1 with an interest in Fam Med. I attend a school that does not have a strong FM showing. Do you think it'd still be valuable for me to attend, or are the residency booths the big draw? ... I'm not sure that the booths and the various programs' nuances would be that meaningful to me at this point...recommendations for what to best check out as an M1?

Are you a rising M1 or a rising M2? If you don't have too many plans for the summer and have time to go (and your school is paying for most of the costs), I would still go. There are workshops on certain procedures and lectures that might be interesting. (I didn't have time to attend those since I only had 1 day to go). They might cost money though.

The booths are the main draw but it doesn't hurt to check out some of the booths for residency programs that you're interested in. (Information can only help ). Kansas City is a fun place, so I would try to drag someone to come with you to explore Kansas City as well. (I didn't have time to do that and wish I did).

When you're a rising M4 (or an M4), I would definitely go to the fair again. Residency programs make changes each year to try to improve their programs, so the curriculum/rotations now might be a little different 3 years from now.

If you decide not to go and wait til you're an M4, that's perfectly fine too.

Have fun and hope that helps!

 

[Coastie]

It's a good trip to go on regardless of what specialty you're going into.

Since it's the AAFP conference, and our school was dying to increase primary care involvement, they paid for everything, including flight, hotel, and even a stipend to eat on.

Kansas City may not be Ibiza, but we had a great time..and none of us were family practice!

Hi Everyone.

I'm thinking about going to the Residents' and Students' National Conf this August in Kansas City. Just wondering if anyone out there has actually been. Is it worth the planning and effort to get out there? What parts did you find valuable or not?

Thanks!

 

[Bito42]

Thanks for the info. I should have said that I'm an M1 with an interest in Fam Med. I attend a school that does not have a strong FM showing. Do you think it'd still be valuable for me to attend, or are the residency booths the big draw? ... I'm not sure that the booths and the various programs' nuances would be that meaningful to me at this point...recommendations for what to best check out as an M1?

I went as an M1 also, and I got a lot out of it. mostly, I got ideas for our family medicine interest group. I'm from a school that also has a poor FM showing, and VERY LITTLE emphasis on primary care as a career choice. So it was great for me to see many other people who are enthusiastic about Primary Care and FM. Also, the workshops are good and I've kept some of the handouts -- Ex: how to succeed in clerkships, managing joint/back pain, etc. But I definitely recommend going WITH someone. I went alone from my school and it was kinda lonely!