Right now from all across the country, medical students and family medicine residents are making their way to Kansas City for The National Conference. Always an exciting time since it is the beginning of the academic year where students and residents take their next step in training.
Back in medical school (has it been 20 years already), this meeting was my first exposure to the Fundamentals of Family Medicine where "a family physician offers continuing, comprehensive, compassionate, and personal health care in the context of family and community." Through this conference, I fell in love with my specialty.
This meeting also helped me develop My Advocacy Voice through leadership opportunities at the conference. I wrote my first campaign speech there. I ran for my first national office there. I learned (the pain) of parliamentary procedure there. My social media advocacy work today can be traced all the way back to this annual summer event in Kansas City.
Now that I have mentioned Social Media Advocacy, this is my periodic plea to the Family Medicine community (affectionally knows as Family Medicine Revolution or #FMRevolution on twitter), that these four days are an opportunity to showcase Family Medicine all over social media - whether it be tweets, facebook updates, blog posts, or whatever. Please, please, please, please - take this opportunity to share why you love Family Medicine and why everyone from medical students, to the general public, to law makers - why they should pay attention to Family Medicine and why it's important. There. I've said my peace. Let's move on...
I'm also excited to announce that the Mike Sevilla Radio Program will be broadcast live during the Opening Party on Thursday, August 1, 2013 at 6pm Eastern Time. There will be a reporter LIVE from the exhibit floor to give an update on what is going on. How exciting is that? Track the conference on twitter with the #AAFPNC hashtag and on facebook.
Finally, from the way back machine, is the video above where I gave a 2010 blog update from the meeting (as Doctor Anonymous). At the end of the video, I made the "big" reveal and showed my real name for the first time to my audience. The National Conference has special meaning to me, because it has made me into the Family Physician and Social Media Activist that I am today.