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BCMS NEWS
BCMS Mentoring Initiative:
Training the next generation of local physicians
By Trevor Memmott
“It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can
sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Bexar County has a vast wealth of licensed physicians, all capable is a program that highlights exceptional physicians in a variety of
of shaping the future of medicine. According to Texas state records, specialties and allows them to tell their story in a brief speech to
Bexar County has 5,321 licensed doctors. These physicians have physicians-in-training and their fellow BCMS members. This will
accumulated great knowledge and skills, encompassing all special- open the eyes of trainees to the vast array of choices available within
ties of medicine. By partnering with local physicians, medical stu- each field of medicine, as well as create an avenue for them to net-
dents, residents and fellows can expand their understanding and work with physicians in the fields in which they are interested.
skills in a practical and personalized manner outside the lecture hall
or teaching wards. Physicians who mentor these trainees provide APPEAL TO PHYSICIANS
the setting and context for developing critical skills required to be- The School of Medicine at UT Health Science Center San An-
come healers of the highest caliber.
tonio trains 860 medical students and 730 residents and fellows
PROGRAM SPECIFICS annually who could benefit from the collective medical experience
The Bexar County Medical Society (BCMS) Mentoring Initia- of Bexar County physicians. Think back to a time when you wished
that something was different in medicine, or you wished you had
tive provides local physicians with a personalized and customizable known or done something different in your training years. Now
approach to training medical students, residents and fellows. Mem- imagine that you can do something about it — because you can.
bers can choose to work with trainees according to their interests By joining the BCMS Mentoring Initiative, your voice is heard.
and time, whether that means answering questions, going out for Your ideas, passions and skills take life outside yourself and give vi-
a meal, or providing shadowing opportunities. sion and direction to all trainees who have the opportunity to work
with and learn from you.
BCMS members can be a part of the initial stages of the Men-
toring Initiative in three ways: communicating with trainees via e- HOW TO PARTICIPATE
mail or telephone, meeting trainees for coffee or a meal, and All BCMS members are able to participate in the Mentoring Ini-
providing shadowing opportunities.
tiative. You may have already signed up for the program by check-
Communicating with trainees provides a simple way to answer ing off the appropriate box on the BCMS annual request for
trainees’ questions or concerns about your specialty, lifestyle or prac- information form sent to you in early March. You also may sign
tice. Meeting trainees for coffee or a meal provides a low-key but up by contacting BCMS membership director Brissa Vela by email
more personal opportunity to interact with physicians in training. at Brissa.Vela@bcms.org or at 210-301-4371.
This could be expanded to include significant others and include dis-
cussions on family life and how to nurture healthy relationships dur- Trevor Memmott is a first-year medical student at
ing medical training and beyond. Physicians-in-training will be able UT Health Science Center at San Antonio and a
to see what the art and practice of medicine look like through expe- member of the BCMS Membership Committee. He re-
rienced members’ eyes. Participants will have a chance to share in- ceived his B.A. in Spanish from Brigham Young Uni-
sights and provide clinical context to assist physicians-in-training as versity in Provo, Utah. Outside of school, he and his
they seek out their own professional identity. wife stay busy keeping up with their two children.
The last element of the program is called “Journeys in…” This
12 San Antonio Medicine • May 2015
