Medical Student Government (MSG)

Founded in 1992, Medical Student Government (MSG) is the main communication pathway between the student body and the administration. MSG takes an active role in addressing student concerns and is responsible for advancing student interests and welfare to achieve excellence in academic pursuits and professional interactions. Students, faculty, and administrators use MSG extensively as a facilitator of important dialogue. Many large- and small-scale changes in student life at this medical school, from the most recent curriculum changes to a variety of social events, have come about as a result of discussions that have taken place within the framework of MSG.

Each of the four medical school classes elects a class president, a medical education representative (MER), and a representative to the Organization of Student Representatives (OSR) of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and either a representative to Washington University’s Graduate Professional Council (GPC) or a Community Engagement Representative (CER). The president works to represent class concerns and ideas to the administration and faculty as well as to plan numerous activities while serving as a student representative to various committees and groups throughout the medical school. The MER coordinates student feedback groups and evaluations for individual courses and acts as the student curriculum liaison to the administration. The OSR is the school’s representative to national and regional AAMC meetings, where issues such as the national board exams and other nationwide medical student concerns are discussed. The GPC representative and CER helps coordinate and promote activities between the medical school and other graduate schools at WashU.

In addition to the four class representatives, students are elected as IT liaisons to assist with technology issues, social chairs to help plan numerous class events and organize orientation activities for the incoming first-year class, and at-large members.