INSIDE WVSMA
Medical Student Experience
Dear WVSMA members ,
On behalf of the residents and medical students enrolled in the Health Policy and Advocacy Elective , thank you for welcoming us to participate in the 2021 legislative session . Please find below a quote from each of us regarding our time spent with you .
“ Although I have served as a delegate to the American Medical Association and currently serve as the Young Physicians Section chair for the West Virginia State Medical Association ( WVSMA ), none of my experiences have given me the behind-the-scenes view of the legislative process like this rotation . This rotation has provided me invaluable tools that I will use throughout my career as I serve my patients and our community . Advocacy is not elective — it is the responsibility of all . We can either passively accept the policy or actively participate to influence its change .” – Ryan Budwany , MD
“ This rotation demystified the legislative process and showed how a physician can be involved . It opened my eyes to the power I will have as a physician and how many politicians are open to hearing from us . The best part of the rotation was the amount of time Danny spent teaching us about legislation , discussing what was currently going on at the Capitol , and introducing us to the many influential people and roles present there . I am even more inspired to remain involved in advocacy .” – Brooke Cottrill
“ This elective illuminated the process of advocating for the public and the medical profession . I learned about the legislative process , how bills become law , and how to keep track of bills as they travel through the Capitol . I strongly believe health policy and advocacy curriculum should be integrated in all medical school curriculums to not only better understand how to be an advocate but also to create and foster relationships between students and their state medical associations and representatives .” – Paula Rincon
“ During medical school , you spend a lot of time learning about how to practice medicine in the hospital , but you spend very little time learning about how medicine functions in the real world . Throughout this rotation , students are able to pull back the proverbial curtain and see first-hand how decisions affecting medical care are made and which voices contribute to this legislation . This course motivates young doctors to get involved and use their voices to advocate for both their profession and their patients .” – Sarah Sparks Stroinski
“ My favorite part of this rotation was learning about the work of our state medical association . It is comforting to know there are people who fight every day on behalf of the patients and physicians of this state . Seeing their passion reminded me that they all make a conscious decision to take on that fight . All the legislators , physicians , lobbyists , and attorneys we met had the same message to us — stay involved . Now , thanks to Danny Scalise and the WVSMA , we know how .” – Bayan Razzaq
“ I once believed that legislators were well-informed on all issues ; now , I see that with thousands of bills , there is no way for any single legislator to understand all the peculiarities of any given issue . That nuanced understanding only comes from experience — and this is where my expertise comes in . I now understand my role as a physician involves not only helping patients who I can physically touch and heal but extending that help to all patients through being a healthcare policy advocate . Thank you — this experience has truly changed my future practice .” – Farha Khan
“ My medical school journey grew from my passion for improvement , and this rotation reinvigorated that passion for me . This course has been the educational playground to explore how broadscale changes in health policy are made and how physicians can channel their clinical expertise into driving this change , thereby expanding their impact beyond the clinic . The overall lesson is simple : health policy changes impact every physician ’ s ability to care for patients . You can be active in this process or accept the decisions of others on your behalf .” – Kathryn Baker
“ Advocacy has always been important to me , and throughout medical school I have learned how important advocating for women ’ s health is to me . As a future OB / GYN , I had no real idea how to get involved in policy or affect change that will influence my entire patient population , not just my individual patients . This rotation opened my eyes to just how important my input is in healthcare policy and how many opportunities there are for me to have an impact on the policies that affect my patients and my practice .” – Alexandria Mason
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