Organizing a RPS/MSS Group


Organizing a resident physician/medical student spouse group takes time, effort, and most of all, enthusiasm. Before you undertake such a project, be sure to talk with administrators to gain the support and cooperation of the hospital or teaching institution. The following guidelines are designed to provide a framework for your efforts.

Form a Nucleus Group

List the reasons you think such a group should be started--for example, sharing mutual interests and concerns; raising funds for community initiatives; and/or organizing legislative advocacy. Put these reasons in writing to form the basis of the group's purpose.

Contact two or three friends or acquaintances at the hospital or medical school who may be interested in working with you to start a group.

Plan an informal meeting with your "nucleus group" of interested spouses at the hospital, medical school, or someone's home.

Get Others Involved and Get Together

Set a date and time for a meeting, keeping in mind that people may have career, family, and other commitments.

Secure a place to hold the meeting, such as a meeting room at the hospital or teaching facility, someone's home, or even a local restaurant.

Prepare a personal letter or flier inviting the spouses of physicians-in-training to the meeting. Give day, date, time, and place, and ask them to RSVP. Put copies of this flier on public bulletin boards, in residents' and/or students' mailboxes, and distribute fliers in the cafeteria or other locations where residents, students, and spouses will see it. Ask the editor of the hospital or medical school newsletter to publish a notice of the meeting.

Make the meeting informal so people have a chance to get acquainted, but also plan time to discuss your ideas for organizing a group.

Ask how many people would be interested in meeting regularly, and get their names, addresses, and phone numbers so you can contact them.

Set a second meeting date to organize the group, and ask for volunteers to prepare simple bylaws for presentation at the next meeting.

Organize the Group

Review the bylaws. Your structure need not be formal, but organization will help keep the group cohesive and productive. At your next meeting, ask the committee appointed at the first meeting to provide an overview of the bylaws they've developed, and to open the discussion for additional suggestions.
Provide a structure for the group. Ask those present to accomplish the following:
  • Review, discuss, and adopt or amend the bylaws introduced by the volunteer committee.
  • Elect temporary officers or a nominating committee to elect officers.
  • Appoint committees as stated in your bylaws, for example, philanthropy, finance, fund-raising, social events, or legislation.

Thank everyone for attending, and open the discussion to ideas and develop some general goals for the group.

Plan Programs and Activities

Your next objective is to plan programs, both for regular meetings and special events. To do this, determine your members' interests through a show of hands, or by conducting a simple telephone or written survey. Consider a variety of programs:
  • Special interest groups: book reading, gourmet cooking, couples night, running/tennis/sports, child play groups, etc.
  • Educational programs: financial planning, transition from residency to practice, self defense, nutrition, child-rearing, etc.
  • Family concerns: medical marriages, the impaired physician, stress, etc.
  • Fundraising: for special community groups, a needy family, the hospital, the medical school, the local Ronald McDonald House, etc.
  • Self-help groups: assertiveness training, manners and etiquette, stress management, etc.
  • Social get-togethers: for couples only, for families, holiday events, happy hours, picnics, etc.
  • Legislative programs: voter registration drives, letter-writing to legislators, educational forums, etc.

Appoint committee chairs, or people to head the various groups or programs.

Call your local or state Alliance to ask for help in programs. They may have a list of speakers whose topics may interest your members, as well as ongoing programs in which your group can become involved.

Contact your state Alliance.

Links to county and state Web sites.

Contact the AMA Alliance to learn more about the benefits of membership.

Be Flexible

Getting a group off the ground requires patience. Things may not go as smoothly as you would like right away, and it may take some time to get going. Be flexible, keep your enthusiasm high, and before you know it, you'll have a resident physician/medical student spouse group that will benefit many people--long after you and your spouse have moved on to the practice years.

Take Advantage of Resources

Publications: RPS/MSS members receive AMA Alliance Today, magazine for physicians' spouses and their families that is published three times a year (Sept., Jan. and May). AMA Alliance Today is designed to keep you up-to-date on the family of medicine and provide you with tips on how to handle the pressure of a medical marriage.

The Medical Marriage: Written by Wayne and Mary Sotile, well-known researchers and counselors to high-powered couples, The Medical Marriage offers an enlightening and compassionate look at the partners in a physician relationship as both individuals and as a couple. The book is available to RPS/MSS members for the special discount price of $20.

Project Bank: The Encyclopedia of Public Health and Community Projects: Available upon request, Project Bank includes more than 500 project ideas in several categories ranging from fund-raising to legislation, social events, and health projects targeting family violence, adolescent health, indigent care, and many more.

The Physicians-in-Training Host Program: As a benefit of membership, the AMA Alliance, AMA Medical Student Section and AMA Resident/Fellows Section have joined forces to provide housing oportunities for fourth-year medical students and their families as they interview for and transition to residency. The assistance provided will be at the discretion of the host; however, fourth-year students' anticipated needs include:

  • Use of an empty bedroom (no more than seven nights)
  • Ride to or from the airport
  • Meal in the home
  • Information on community
  • Introduction to local medical society/Alliance

AMA Alliance Membership: For annual dues of $10, RPS/MSS members will receive AMA Alliance Today, access to insurance programs, and discounts on hotels and rental cars, as well as discounts on AMA Alliance resources and publications, including children's activity books, the Physician Spouse Series, and handbooks on membership, fundraising, health promotion and legislative action.

For More Information

The American Medical Association Alliance, Inc., is the volunteer arm of the American Medical Association. Comprising physicians' spouses, the Alliance is dedicated to promoting better health, ensuring sound health legislation, and fund-raising for medical education. In 1995, the AMA Alliance launched the SAVE Program to Stop America's Violence Everywhere. Currently, more than 600 community SAVE programs are aimed at assisting victims of abuse, teaching conflict resolution skills, and educating the public about violence.