SGIM Launches ProudtobeGIM Campaign
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September 15, 2015
The Society of General Internal Medicine has launched a communications campaign aimed at attracting more medical students to the field of general internal medicine. The campaign, ProudtobeGIM, is the result of a year-long effort funded by the Hess Foundation that promotes the many positive aspects of a career in the practice of general internal medicine and primary care.
ProudtobeGIM highlights general internal medicine as a career path that offers physicians the opportunity to impact lives and speaks to the values of a new generation of medical students eager to make a difference. The campaign features general internists leading healthcare into the future – at the forefront of medical education and innovators in the field; making an impact on an individual and societal level.
While general internal medicine aims to improve quality and reduce healthcare costs, it offers the opportunity for care management over a long-term doctor-patient relationship. “GIM care is all about the whole patient,” says Dr. Katherine Chretien, Chief Hospitalist at the Washington, DC VA Medical Center. “We are really at the center of the patient’s healthcare story. We are in charge of managing their care and their care from subspecialists as well. You get to decide what is important for your patient and individualize it to their care.”
“It’s an exciting time in medicine now,” says Dr. Lello Tesema, a primary care resident at Cambridge Hospital in Massachusetts. “There’s a really deep, unmet need for generalists. Good primary care is essential for good healthcare of our nation. It’s really gratifying to feel that the work you are involved in is part of the social change story.”
The campaign is working with six medical schools across the country on pilot projects to bring this message directly to students. Throughout the fall, these institutions will hold events including panel discussions, mentoring sessions, and even career “speed dating”, all aimed to educate their students about general internal medicine.
For more information, please visit the campaign website at www.proudtobeGIM.org.