Medical student initiatives to promote the education of generalist physicians.

Medical student organizations--including the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the Association of American Medical Colleges's Organization of Student Representatives (AAMC-OSR), and the American Academy of Family Physicians' National Congress of Student Members (AAFP-NCSM)--are responding to the increased need for generalist physicians. Through a variety of initiatives drawing on each organization's unique strengths and capabilities, students are developing curricular and extracurricular initiatives to increase trainees' exposure to and knowledge about generalist medicine. These projects indicate that future physicians are interested in learning about generalist careers and in working with generalist mentors early in their medical training. Students are addressing these needs through community-based experiences, student interest groups, legislative activity, curricular reform, and research in generalist medicine.