Board of Trustees Leadership Opportunities
We are no longer accepting applications.
Available Leadership Positions
Application Deadlines & Electoral Procedures
At AMSA’s Annual Convention, the House of Delegates (HOD) elects the President, Vice President for Membership, Vice President for Finances, Vice President for Program Development, Vice President for Leadership Development and Secretary of the Association. These national elections are an extremely important process for AMSA because they identify key officers who will oversee how our Association operates during the upcoming year.
An important responsibility of the medical chapters is to review the qualifications of each of these candidates and decide which candidates will best serve AMSA. In the weeks leading up to Convention, resumes/CVs and personal statements of each candidate will be available on the candidate website. After meeting the candidates at Convention and hearing speeches, each delegate casts a ballot in the Saturday morning session of the HOD. The Nominations Committee coordinates these election activities.
Job Description - As national officers, the President, Vice President for Membership, Vice President for Finance, Vice President for Program Development, Vice President for Leadership Development and Secretary share some common responsibilities. These duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Serve as a leader and develop new leaders.
- Provide support and serve as a resource for other AMSA leaders.
- Attend and actively participate in all meetings of the Board of Trustees (BOT) and Annual Convention.
- Attend fall conferences as time and money permits.
- Conscientiously and successfully transition with his/her successor.
- Represent AMSA publicly and to external organizations at the request of the President.
President
The President is the senior elected officer of the association. He/she is a full-time, salaried officer who serves a one-year term at the national office. As such, the president is responsible for overseeing the Board of Trustees (BOT) and all Association initiatives, working with local chapters and implementing AMSA's strategic plan. He/she presides over all meetings of the BOT and is an ex-officio member on all committees (except the Nominations Committee). The President is also responsible for choosing a theme and overseeing AMSA’s Annual Convention.
The President represents AMSA in all external affairs. He/she advises organized medicine on issues related to medical students, supports legislative and educational initiatives, often gives testimony on AMSA's behalf and works with the media. He/she may also initiate projects of priority to the organization.
The President's year is never without work. The President should have strong written and oral communication skills, organizational and administrative skills and a complete knowledge of AMSA. Other useful qualities are networking abilities, knowledge of health policy and medical education policy, and a willingness to travel. Most importantly, this is a full-time job. The President must be exceptionally dedicated to working to advance the interests of the Association.
Vice President For Membership
In addition to the duties of all national officers, the Vice President for Membership (VPM) has several specific responsibilities. He/she assists the President of the Association as needed. This includes acting as an information resource and a troubleshooter to assist the regional directors in performing their jobs. The VPM may also be asked to assume other duties as directed by the President, the BOT or the House of Delegates. This may include, but is not limited to, chairing ad hoc committees and special work groups, acting externally as the official AMSA representative, or sitting on other committees of the association.
Following Convention, the VPM pursues specific areas of interest to the Association based on his or her workplan. The VPM is often called upon to assist in Convention planning. During this time, as the Convention approaches, a greater time commitment is required.
Vice President For Finance
It's the chief responsibility of the Vice President for Finance (VPF), under the guidance of the BOT, to administer the budget. They must have a working knowledge of the budget line items and what expenditures these line items cover. The duties include, but are not limited to, working closely with the President, Executive Director, accountant, BOT, committees and the national office staff to solve any financial issues that arise, reporting on the budget at each BOT meetings.
The VPF is also responsible for leading the preparation of the budget for the fiscal year following his/her term. They must prepare an annual report to the HOD concerning the financial state of the Association during his/her tenure. As a member of the BOT, the VPF is responsible for staying abreast of all issues, whether financial or non-financial in nature, being a responsible voting member of these groups, and serving on BOT Finance Subcommittee.
Secretary/Vice President For Internal Affairs*
The Vice President for Internal Affairs (VPIA) and the Secretary are responsible for all planning and oversight of the HOD. They assure that all resolutions to be debated by the HOD are submitted to chapters well before Convention; staff, train and oversee all committees (Reference, Credentials and Nominations) of the HOD; and chair all sessions. They are intimately involved in the function of the Reference Committees, and they oversee the elections of the national officers at the convention.
The VPIA and Secretary also serve as members of the BOT. Because the Secretary/VPIA position is a two year term, the Secretary/VPIA bring continuity from one year to the next to the BOT, and their knowledge of the Preamble, Purposes and Principles and AMSA's legislative functions makes them a great resource for information.
Time requirements are less intense from April to September, but responsibilities accelerate quickly as the Annual Convention approaches. January through Convention is the busiest time of their year.
*Please Note: The 2012 HOD will consider one or more resolutions that may change the term and/or the responsibilities of the Secretary/VPIA position during the 2013-2014 leadership year.
Vice President For Program Development
The Vice President for Program Development is one of two Trustees elected to represent the needs and interests of AMSA’s programming arm including the Action Committees and Teams, Interest Groups, and other bodies carrying out AMSA’s mission-driven work. This Trustee focuses on the cultivation of high-quality projects and initiatives by maintaining a broad understanding of AMSA’s mission and priorities and by training student leaders in methodologies to increase the success of our programs.
Vice President for Leadership Development
The Vice President for Leadership Development is one of two Trustees elected to represent the needs and interests of AMSA’s programming arm including the Action Committees and Teams, the Interest Groups, and other bodies carrying out AMSA’s mission-driven work. This Trustee focuses on the cultivation of high-quality student leadership through training and professional development activities.
Premedical Trustee
The Premedical Trustee represents the concerns of premedical student membership and leadership to the BOT and thus carries the responsibilities of any BOT member. The Premedical Trustee will hold regular conference calls with the Premedical Regional Directors and assist them in providing leadership and guidance to the premedical membership. The Premedical Trustee will also develop the premedical programming at the annual convention. This position will be elected by the Premedical Caucus on Saturday evening, March 10, 2012.
International Trustee
The International Trustee represents the concerns of the international medical student membership and leadership to the BOT and thus carries the responsibilities of any BOT member. The International Trustee will assist the international programming coordinator in providing leadership and guidance to the international membership. This position will be elected by the International Caucus on Saturday evening, March 10, 2012.
Graduate Trustee
The Graduate Trustee represents the interests of AMSA's physician members (residents, interns and practicing physicians) to the BOT and thus carries the responsibilities of any BOT member. The GT provides insight into the development of membership services and programming of particular interest to his/her constituents, assists in Convention programming, chairs the Graduate Caucus and serves on the BOT. This position will be elected by the Graduate Caucus on Saturday morning, March 10, 2012.