All medical students on entry to medical school, residents, fellows, and all physicians throughout their career are eligible for AΩA.
AΩA is committed to national leadership in advancing diversity and inclusion in the profession of medicine. Chapters are provided the flexibility to value the diversity of qualities that contribute to high quality patient care, leadership, service, and scholarship. Chapters are expected to embrace and respect differences and foster creativity in how they celebrate students who contribute in these important ways. AΩA expects an unbiased, inclusive nomination and election process.
Membership in AΩA may be attained as a medical student, resident, fellow, faculty member, alumni, clinician, or distinguished leader in medicine. Each school may elect up to 20% of the graduating class of students, up to 25 residents/fellows, up to 10 faculty, and three to five alumni, who, based on merit, demonstrate the characteristics of excellent physicians in alignment with AΩA’s mission and values. Physicians who are in a “Chief Resident” role may be considered eligible for nomination. Chief Resident nominees must undergo the same Chapter selection process with consideration placed on proven leadership, professionalism, teaching, and clinical skills, and must meet the required AΩA criteria. The Chief Resident nominees will be in addition to the residents and/or fellows selected via the standard nomination process.
The characteristics of excellent physicianship will be identified by each school; examples include trustworthiness, character, caring, knowledge, scholarship, proficiency in the doctor-patient relationship, leadership, compassion, empathy, altruism, and servant leadership. Nominees must be in good academic standing and must not have any professionalism concerns.
Each school/Chapter may determine the best timing for their elections. Chapters may choose to nominate all or a portion of their quota of student members at any time during the final year prior to graduation. Up to fifty (50) percent of the total number of students to be elected may be elected in their penultimate year.
Each school/Chapter will identify evidence-based methods for determining eligibility based on AOA’s mission and values and the school’s mission and definitions of excellence in physicianship. In addition to academic achievement, schools/Chapters should use measures of research and scholarship, leadership, ethical behavior, professionalism, service to the school and community at-large, and/or other elements determined by the school/Chapter. Each school/Chapter should identify and then weigh these elements in the election process based on their mission and goals.
Each school/Chapter must maintain the attributes of AΩA – academic achievement, research, education, leadership, humanism, professionalism, service – throughout the election process. Each school/Chapter must be transparent with this process and shall implement a mechanism for the selected elements and weighting to be made known, e.g., handouts, orientation, website, etc.
