Lectures and Panel Discussions
The 1-2 Real Talk: Family Medicine Rural Track Programs
Medical students considering Family Medicine often face anxiety regarding Rural Training Programs (RTPs), worrying about isolation or limited resources. This interactive panel pulls back the curtain to offer a transparent, behind-the-scenes look at training in a completely unopposed environment across different Arkansas RTP sites such as Crossett, El Dorado, Berryville/Eureka Springs, and Dardanelle. Led by Program Directors and residents spanning both the urban PGY-1 foundation and rural PGY-2/3 phases, this session spotlights a realistic “day in the life of a rural resident.” Attendees will discover the immense clinical advantages of practicing where there are no competing fellows or specialty residents, learning one-on-one with faculty and ensuring maximum procedural volumes and true clinical autonomy. Panelists will track a typical day—from running the emergency room to operating as the decision-maker on complex inpatient services and busy outpatient clinics—demonstrating the sheer power of an unopposed program. The discussion will demystify the urban-to-rural transition, proving how hands-on, unshared experiences accelerate independent clinical judgment and confidence when managing an entire ward. A candid “Myth-Buster” round will address individual hurdles head-on, showing how trainees deeply integrate into supportive, close-knit communities. Attendees will leave with an authentic roadmap to mastering family medicine in an elite, unopposed rural track.
Beyond the Prescription Pad: Lifestyle Medicine in Arkansas
Lifestyle medicine treats the root causes of chronic disease — nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress, substance use, and social connection — with the same rigor as any other intervention. This session covers what the evidence actually shows, how these approaches fit into a busy primary care practice, and why they matter especially in Arkansas, where chronic disease burden runs high.
Cracking ERAS: Inside the Selection Process for Family Medicine
Navigating the ERAS season is one of the most high-stakes and anxiety-inducing milestones for medical students. With thousands of files competing for limited interview slots, applicants frequently fall into the trap of over-engineering their applications and stressing over low-yield metrics. This interactive panel discussion pulls back the curtain on the residency selection process, providing attendees with unprecedented, direct access to the ultimate gatekeepers of primary care programs. Featuring a diverse panel of Program Directors, Associate Program Directors, Chief Residents, and Program Coordinators, this session explores the full lifecycle of an application. Presenters will explicitly detail how programs administratively filter and screen applications, what authentic “green flags” elevate a candidate during an interview, and how post-interview etiquette impacts final rank lists. Crucially, the panel will engage in an honest “myth-busting” segment to reveal which common resume-padding activities are routinely bypassed or ignored by decision-makers, saving students valuable peace of mind. This session transforms an opaque process into a transparent roadmap, equipping students with actionable strategies to stand out intentionally and authentically.
The Unwritten Rules of Residency
Residency comes with a second curriculum that no syllabus covers. This session takes an honest look at what medical school leaves out: how to get through a bad day, how to build the support structure that carries you through training, and how to set priorities when everything feels urgent. We’ll talk candidly about work-life balance in a demanding field and the habits that make the transition from student to resident more manageable.
Beyond the Vibe: How to Evaluate Residency Programs & Build an INFORMed Rank List
Choosing a residency is one of the most consequential investments in a physician’s professional development, yet applicants often must make this decision with incomplete information, personal impressions, and others’ experiences. In this interactive residency decision-making session (or workshop), medical students will identify what they personally value in a training program and learn how to turn those priorities, and the things they hear about programs into questions that generate meaningful information. Participants will practice distinguishing perception, experience, and evidence; investigating individual claims; recognizing patterns across multiple data points; and considering program requirements, career goals, and anticipated changes in the training environment. Students will leave with a practical framework for making a residency decision that is informed by multiple sources rather than driven by any single influence.
Legacy in Medicine
Every physician leaves a mark on patients, on the people they train, and on the communities they choose to serve. This session asks students to think early about what theirs will look like: the kind of doctor they want to become, the values worth protecting through the long haul of training, and how a career built in Arkansas can shape the health of the state for decades.
Skills Labs
Insert Yourself Into Residency: A LARC Skills Lab
This interactive skills lab will provide hands-on training in IUD and contraceptive implant placement using simulation models. Family medicine faculty and residents will teach procedural techniques and patient counseling to build confidence in LARC care.
2-Minute OMM: What You’ll Use in Clinic
Osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) is often underutilized in primary care due to the perception that it is time-intensive and difficult to incorporate into routine visits. This interactive skills lab challenges that perception by introducing a practical, efficient approach to OMM that can be seamlessly integrated into a busy family medicine clinic.
Suture Self: A Laceration Repair Skills Lab
Participants will receive real-time, personalized instruction on fundamental wound closure techniques using high-fidelity synthetic tissue models. The session focuses on essential procedural mechanics, including proper instrument handling, knot-tying ergonomics, and the execution of basic suture patterns such as simple interrupted and continuous techniques. Additionally, facilitators will guide students through clinical decision-making algorithms regarding suture material selection and wound assessment. By centering this simulation on active participation, the lab serves a dual purpose: it provides immediate educational value to attending students while tangibly demonstrating our program’s emphasis on early procedural autonomy, structured simulation-based education, and a supportive mentorship culture.
A Joint Effort: Shoulder & Knee Injection Skills Lab
Musculoskeletal complaints are among the most common reasons patients come to a primary care office, but most students graduate having never performed a joint injection. In this skills lab, you’ll practice shoulder and knee injection technique on anatomic models with real-time coaching from residents and faculty. After a short demonstration, you’ll work hands-on in small groups on landmark identification, patient positioning, needle selection, and aseptic technique. Facilitators will also cover the reasoning behind the procedure — which presentations respond to injection, when to image or refer, and when not to inject at all.
Table Topics
Table 1: Rural Practice Scholarships & Loan Repayment
Table 2: Family Medicine: The Swiss Army Knife of Medicine
Table 3: Fellowship Opportunities in Primary Care
Table 4: Ask Us Anything: A Life in Primary Care
Table 5: Life Outside of Residency
Table 6: Pediatrics Residency
Table 7: Family Medicine Residency
Table 8: Family Medicine Residency
Table 9: Internal Medicine Residency
Table 10: Internal Medicine Residency
Table 11: Preventive Medicine Residency
Table 12: Emergency Medicine Residency