What does advocacy mean to you? Advocacy is formally and generically defined as “the public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy.” However, advocacy has a very real and raw meaning that varies from person to person. Specifically, there are many causes that emergency medicine physicians are passionate about, and they were able to share their voice at Emergency Medicine Days on January 27-29, 2020 in Tallahassee, FL.

There were several medical students that joined the physician forces and took advantage of the free conference to learn about FCEP’s legislative priorities. Topics discussed ranged from current issues affecting physicians such as expansion of scope of practice, opioids, and physician e-prescribing. Once medical students, residents and physicians alike were briefed on current policies, we were able to meet with individual Representatives and Senators in order to share the meaningful examples of how these policies directly affect patients, physicians and the field of emergency medicine as a whole. As a participating medical student, the important connections and bridge in differing perspectives that were made between physicians and legislative leaders were established quickly and directly observed in the brief meetings. It is experiences like these that remind us medical students how important, as future emergency medicine physicians, it is to quickly build rapport during your brief interactions with a patient, or in this case, government officials.

In addition to the policy review, medical students were able to interact with residents from North Florida Regional HCA/UCF GME Consortium during a medical student forum led by Program Director, Dr. Robyn Hoelle. The eye-opening presentation covered a topic that a few of their residents are strong advocates for: human trafficking. We reviewed statistics, current protocols and trainings, and how we, as future physicians, have the power to intervene and save a life. So, moving forward this season, the FCEP Medical Student Council urges all medical students, and the greater emergency medicine community alike, to reflect and contemplate: what are your passions, and what does advocacy mean to you? ■