Tips
for Increasing Participation in Your Student Society
How
to get students interested in running for student society positions
and volunteering for committee chair and committee member positions
A.
Information is this key. The more opportunities that first year
students have to interact with officers and students in the second year
class before elections, the better.
1.
Promote positions.
a. Post information about each position in a variety of places
so that the majority of students can see it.
b. Provide a thorough job description and expectations, so they will
know if they have the necessary skills
2.
Set aside a time for the current student society officers and committee
chairs to get up in front of the first year class and explain their
duties and responsibilities.
a. Make sure they include the approximate amount
of time that is required.
b. Have them offer to be available for questions.
3.
Give the new class at least 2 weeks notice before elections and explain
what is required if they want to run for an elected position.
4.
Provide information about the committee chair positions and committees
that will need members.
How
to get each and every student interested in student society activities
A.
Encourage all members of the class to get involved by
asking them for ideas and giving them opportunities to contribute.
1. Plan a wide variety of activities including
social events, sports events, fundraisers, public education projects
and community service projects.
2. Create ad hoc committees to plan some of these
events and include all subgroups of the class in this planning. (It
is recommended that the majority of the class agree on events, activities
etc. This will encourage increased participation.)
3. Plan events at different times of the day,
including during breaks or lunch, after class and in the evening.
This allows students with families to participate during the day without
giving up family time.
How
to keep students involved in the student society
A.
Plan activities that give something back to the students (i.e. what's
in it for me?)
1. Invite drug reps to give a talk to the class
during lunch (drug rep pays for lunch) and use the rest of the time
to have a class meeting.
2. Work with the faculty to allow time for students
to celebrate PA Day and perform community service and public education
without missing class time.
3. Establish contact with the local medical student
group in order to give them more information on PAs and PA training
and plan joint community service projects. This gives PA students
the opportunity to educate medical students about the PA profession
thus creating future PA jobs.
4. Promote attendance at state, regional and national
PA meetings. These meetings give students the opportunity to learn
more about the profession, attend CME, meet students from other programs,
and make contact with future employers.
Suggestions
for student society activities
A.
Community Service activities
1. Coordinate activities with your local chapters
of organizations like March of Dimes and the American Heart Association
2. Sponsor a blood drive
3. Participate in walks and/or runs for various
health problems like diabetes and breast cancer
4. Participate in Special Olympics
B.
Public Education Projects
1. Plan a health fair with routine screenings
2. Plan an educational program for a local high
school or junior high
3. Plan programs to increase the public's knowledge
of the PA profession
4. Coordinate programs with the local student
medical group
C.
Professional activities
1. Plan to attend state CME conferences, AAPA
regional and annual conferences
2. Coordinate activities with you constituent
chapter and participate in constituent chapter projects
3. Request help with organizing your student society
from SAAAPA who will pair you with an established student society or
request to be a mentor to a new or inactive student society
4. Organize mentor programs between graduate PA
members of the state constituent chapter and PA students
D.
Fundraising activities
1. Organize fundraisers to accompany some of the
activities mentioned above. For example, sell baked goods at the
blood drive and/or health fairs.
2. Design and sell t-shirts and other merchandise.
This can be specific to PAs and sold to PA students and graduates, or
general and be sold to students in all health profession programs.
3. Organize silent auctions or raffles.
Items for these will usually be donated by businesses if you tell them
what you are raising money for.
4. Sell old books, anatomy equipment and lab coats
to the in-coming class
E.
Activities that contribute to your own students and program
1. Organize mentor programs between students in the first-year
and second-year classes.
2. Hold a welcome party for the incoming class.
3. Develop a rotation information handbook that provides information
on the majority of the clinical rotations that are available.
Final
thoughts
A.
Three reasons often cited for not volunteering
1. "I didn't know there was an opening" or "No
one ever asked me"
2. "I don't have enough time" (based on their
"perception" of how much time it would take)
3. "I'm not qualified" (based on their "perception"
of what skills are needed)
B.
When planning any type of program, it is very important
to advertise.
C.
Try to plan a variety of activities that will appeal
to a diverse group of people.
D.
Begin your student society activities early in the year
so it becomes part of the schedule
E.
Please refer to the Student Society Handbook that is
mailed to each program during September of each year, for more information
on community service projects, public education projects, and fundraisers
