Your medical chapter delegate performs an exciting and important function by serving in AMSA's House of Delegates (HOD). Through the HOD, AMSA represents the voice of more than 35,000 physicians-in-training from medical schools across the country. Because each of our local chartered medical chapters has at least one delegate, AMSA represents the views of medical students as few other medical student organizations can. Our delegates are our policy makers: they vote on the policies that define what AMSA is and what it stands for. It is crucial for each chapter to raise its voice in the House--this voice is the real ownership and heart of our Association.
How delegates are selected
Each chartered medical and international chapter of the association is authorized to send one delegate for the first two hundred and fifty (250) medical student members, and an additional delegate for every two hundred and fifty (250) members or majority fraction thereof. The number of chapter members is based on total membership as registered in the AMSA national office as of January 1, 2013.
To ensure the legitimacy of each identified delegate and alternate, each chapter president MUST complete an online delegate certification form by March 9, 2013. Any changes after submission of the original form must be submitted to Nida Degesys, HOD Chair, at vpia@amsa.org and Matt Hilferty at mhilferty@amsa.org.
When your chapter arrives at Annual Convention, any member of your chapter may sit in the HOD and represent your chapter's voice; the "official" delegates on the form simply serve to tally the number of potential delegates that will be at convention. As a rule, any member who wishes to speak on the House floor will be allowed. Your chapter should determine which members will be serving as delegates during each business session of the HOD before arriving at convention. We suggest that all members of your chapter attending convention serve as delegates for short periods of time in the HOD so that everyone gets to experience policy-making in AMSA.
Suggestions for delegates and alternate delegates
All attendees who will be serving as delegates should meet with their chapters before the annual convention to discuss the resolutions and candidates for national office. In this way, the delegates can better reflect the views of their chapters when they vote in the House. Please refer to "The House of Delegates Made Ridiculously Simple" for a description of parliamentary procedure and how the House functions. It is vital that chapters discuss the resolutions before they come to the convention; without prior discussion, it is very difficult to have an informed debate, which is the purpose of the HOD.
Basic parliamentary procedure guidelines will be provided during the opening session of the HOD. Since the majority of delegates have never used parliamentary procedure, the vice president for internal affairs and secretary will hold a training session on parliamentary procedure immediately prior to the opening of the HOD.
2013 AMSA Delegate Certification Form
HOUSE OF DELEGATES
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Online Application Deadline: March 9, 2013
Each chartered medical chapter is allotted 1-4 delegates, based on membership numbers. Please complete the number of delegates your chapter has been allotted on the form below. If you do not know how many delegates your chapter has, fill out all four slots, and we will take the appropriate number of delegates starting from the top.
Please note: An email will be sent to your chapter president within 72 hours of submission for the required approval of all delegates.
Questions about delegate registration or the HOD? Email Nida Degesys, HOD Chair, at vpia@amsa.org or Matt Hilferty, mhilferty@amsa.org.