The Student Medical Education Committee (SMEC) is the branch of the Mulholland society that handles all curricular/education related issues here at the UVA School of Medicine. These positions should be sought by anyone who is interested in medical education and wants to play a role in improving the curriculum at UVA.
As the second year SMEC representative, in addition to being a part of the Mulholland Society, you have the privilege of serving on three committees: the Curriculum committee, the Principles of Medicine committee, and the SMEC executive committee. The Curriculum committee meets roughly three times per month and tackles issues pertinent to all four years of medical education. The Principles of Medicine committee meets monthly to discuss issues revolving around the first two years of medical school. You will also serve a very active role on the SMEC executive committee, which meets twice per month and is made up of roughly 15 students from across all four years of medical education. You will be critical in helping to organize the Student Advisory Committees (SACs) for the 2nd year courses as well as the first year fall courses. Throughout the year, you will relay the thoughts of the 2nd year SACs to the SMEC executive committee.
The time commitment inherent to this position is more substantial than many other student positions, as it can easily consume anywhere from 1- 3 hours per week. However, rest assured that your time will always be well spent. As the second year representative, your voice is critical in shaping the basic science education at UVA.
As the third year SMEC representatives, you are responsible for recruiting fellow students to be liaisons for each clerkship (one representative for each: AIM, internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, psychiatry, neurology, ob/gyn, family medicine and clinical connections) The two third year SMEC representatives can also serve as clerkships liasions if they so choose; however, their primary purpose is to lead monthly meetings with the other liasions. You will also be important members of the SMEC executive committee, which meets twice per month and is made up of roughly 15 students from across all four years of medical education. The third year representatives will discuss clerkship related issues at the SMEC executive meetings. There are two SMEC 3rd Year representatives to accommodate the amount of time 3rd year students spend on away rotations.
As the 4th year SMEC representative, you will serve as the chair of the SMEC executive committee. You will run the SMEC executive meetings, set the agenda, organize projects and ensure the efficient functioning of other SMEC branches. The position involves considerable communication with other students, faculty and SMEC members. You will serve on several committees, including the Curriculum Committee (3 meetings per month) and the Clinical Medicine Committee (1 meeting per month). You may also need to attend other meetings/committees as needed. The time commitment is substantial and can take several hours each week. It is recommended that anyone running for this position have some previous experience with SMEC.