Starting a Medical Chapter of PhiDE
For one of my last PhiDE posts as your premedical student representative, I wanted to talk briefly about the logistics, and share the really amazing experience I had in starting a medical school chapter of Phi Delta Epsilon. Several of the premed friends I met at the Leadership Institutes asked about this, which is really exciting for the future of PhiDE.
A Brief Outline of the Logistics
- Do this in your first year of medical school. Even though the first year is busy and stressful in its own way, it’s really the only time that you’d be able to see the chartering through to its completion. In second year you’ll have Step 1 coming which will need your full attention, and third and fourth year your schedules will be too hectic with your clinical rotations.
- First: Reach out to Karen. Before you can move forward at all, you have to get approval from the international office by reaching out to Karen. She’ll be so excited you reached out, as expansion is what keeps our fraternity going! Typically the person who takes initiative to reach out and coordinate the logistics acts as the “colony coordinator.” This makes you a “rock star” for life in PhiDE, and means you’ll lead the efforts in helping your colony become chartered into a full chapter. The colony coordinator also usually serves on the founding executive board.
- Reach out to your classmates & faculty. Once you’ve gotten approval to move forward, you’ll receive a “Colonization Guide” which outlines everything you need to know. In reaching out to your medical school community, you should notify all students about the opportunity to apply to be part of the founding executive board of your future chapter. When you reach out to your faculty, student affairs is often a great place to start to talk with them about the logistics of starting a “University-recognized” student organization, and get their advice on finding an advisor.
- The Founding Executive Board will recruit the founding class, and follow the colonization guide to eventually become an official chartered chapter.
Reflecting on my Personal Experience Chartering a Chapter
Being part of the first class at my medical school has been a really unique and great experience that I wouldn’t change for anything. However, one of the hardest parts of being the first group of medical students is that we don’t have upperclassmen to ask for advice. I think having PhiDE offer an instant network of upperclassmen and physicians is a huge part of what made it so successful at its foundation. I was nervous to reach out to my classmates, who I didn’t know very well yet, about chartering a new chapter, but I was so overwhelmingly happy at the positive response. The personality of my class as a whole definitely included being passionate about student organizations, community outreach, and mentorship, and PhiDE provided opportunities in every area we wanted. I think a lot of our founding members were also drawn in by the opportunity to give back to our Children’s Miracle Network Hospital, and for the social aspect of being a “Phamily”.
While it was a lot of emails and planning initially, I’m so fortunate that my school’s student affairs faculty is extremely supportive, and Karen Katz and her team make things go so smoothly. Working with my really wonderful founding executive board, having the privilege of being the first President, and sharing our passion for PhiDE with our classmates was one of the most rewarding experiences of my medical school career. It also continues to be rewarding as I get to watch the chapter thrive and grow under each new executive board.
It’s really difficult to explain how extraordinary it is to see your chapter grow from an idea exchanged in emails into a growing and thriving group of PhiDE family. I’ll just say that during college and now medical school, I would have been lost without the guidance and friendships I found through PhiDE, and it’s so special to be able to continue sharing that passion.
