College of Medicine Students Visit Capitol for TMA “First Tuesdays”

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AUSTIN, Texas (April 15, 2005) - Five second year and 65 first-year students from the A&M College of Medicine traveled to Austin last week for the Texas Medical Association’s (TMA) “First Tuesdays”. First Tuesdays is a TMA program designed to take medicine’s message to state legislators. The April event was geared toward giving Texas medical students a look inside medical lobbying and allowing them to meet with legislators.

According to second-year student Lam Le, who helped organize the trip, involving current medical students in First Tuesdays helps teach them the ropes of medicine in politics before they even become doctors.

“This event was a training day for us,” Le said. “We had a two-hour orientation in the morning that gave us an overview of healthcare in Texas, funding issues and key talking points. Then we spent the rest of the day visiting with senators and representatives.”

With 70 students in attendance, the A&M College of Medicine brought the largest delegation to the Medical Student Lobby Day, which TMA organizers plan to make an annual event.

For more information about TMA or First Tuesdays, visit www.texmed.org.