Student Life
Student Life
Student activities at the School of Medicine are centered around the Mulholland Society Mulholland Society--the student government organization that includes all medical students and which promotes the interests and concerns of the student body. The Mulholland Society also educates and informs students of national and regional events in the medical field and serves as an outlet for the academic, social, and athletic interests of medical students. Members of the Mulholland Society are elected to represent the School of Medicine on University-wide committees such as the Honor and Judiciary Committees and the Student Council.
The School also encourages students to participate in community activities such as Service, Humanity, Action, Responsibility, Education (SHARE), which initiates projects involving AIDS, and drug abuse education as well as other service-oriented activities.
Medical students form two singing groups called the Spinal Chords and the Arrhythmics, which perform for patients and charitable organizations. In addition, the Student American Medical Association, the Student National Medical Association, and the American Medical Women's Association are actively represented in the School of Medicine. Students may also become involved in the Family Practice Club, the Internal Medicine Club, the Pediatrics Club, the Surgery Club, or they may participate in the Mulholland Society's social committee, which is responsible for several social events throughout the year. In addition, School of Medicine students have access to all University facilities and athletic events.
For more information on student organizations, see the Students Affairs website.
University of Virginia School of Medicine Convocation Covenants:
Spoken by Students and Faculty at Year One Orientation
Covenants Spoken By Students:As I begin the study of medicine, I acknowledge and accept the responsibilities and privileges of an apprentice learner of ancient art and modern science:
With teachers to guide me, I will approach my studies with diligence and integrity, acquiring the competencies and cultivating the attributes of an accomplished physician.
In my education I will respect all persons, including faculty and staff, student colleagues, and especially the patients who will ever be my teachers. I will attend to the experiences, beliefs, and values of others, and reflect on my own attitudes and assumptions.
I affirm fidelity to my patients, and will respect them, their decisions, and their confidentiality. Mindful of my privileged access to their bodies and selves, I will seek to earn their trust and to care for them with skill, understanding, compassion, and fairness.
I expect that medical school will not only cultivate my intellect but also challenge my moral imagination. It will shape and test my critical judgment and show me my limitations and my competencies; it will entail risk. I know that in the course of learning I will make mistakes-may I forgive yet always remember and learn from them.
Mindful of the importance of my own health and well-being, I will seek a balance of professional and personal pursuits. I will value my relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and mentors for the mutual trust, humor, and confidence they sustain.
My study of medicine will extend throughout my life, and I will hold myself to the highest professional standards. In school and beyond, I will look to a collegial model of learning and working. Even now, I assume the physician's social responsibility to improve the health of humankind. We students here join with our teachers in the community of scholars to uphold the goals of our profession, honor its commitments, and advance its contributions.
As you embark upon the study of medicine, I accept the privilege and responsibility of being your teacher:
I will teach you the science and art of medicine and encourage you to be thoughtful, discerning, and compassionate in their applications. I will show you what is known and what is not known, what is certain and what is not. I will teach you to advance medical knowledge and skills, to improve the care of the patient and the health of the public. Trust me to teach you as I trust you and your fellow students to teach me.
You see reflected in me the character and social conscience of my profession. I will conduct myself with integrity and show you how I wrestle with issues of ethics and ambiguity.
I will accord you respect, tolerance, and fair treatment, recognizing that I am entrusted with teaching you to extend the same to your peers and your patients. I encourage you also to see patients as your tutors and to have relationships with them based on advocacy, mutual vulnerability and trust, and the utmost fidelity, for this is the heart of medicine.
I will give you responsibilities and supervision appropriate to your knowledge and skills. I will not abandon you to your mistakes. I will encourage you always to put forth your best effort, and will ask the same of myself.
I ask you to recognize the limits of your teachers and yourself, and to use your talents and energy to improve this institution and all that it offers.
Together we are stewards of an ancient and respected profession. You are this profession's future. With pride and anticipation we welcome you into the study and life of medicine.
Charlottesville
The City of Charlottesville is located in Central Virginia, approximately 100 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. and 70 miles northwest of Richmond, Virginia. Situated within the upper Piedmont Plateau, at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and at the headwaters of the Rivanna River, Charlottesville was established as a town in 1762 by the Virginia General Assembly, and was incorporated as an independent city in 1888. As the seat of both the City and County governments, Charlottesville serves as the economic, cultural, and educational center of a multicounty region in Central Virginia. It includes many of the advantages of a much larger community, including theater, dance, and musical performance, art exhibits, and opportunities for swimming, tennis, skiing, hiking, canoeing, and a number of other sports. Nearby attractions include Thomas Jefferson's home at Monticello, and Ash Lawn--the home of James Monroe.
For more information on the Charlottesville area, contact:
Charlottesville Chamber of Commerce PO Box 1564 Charlottesville, VA 22902 Tel: (434) 295-3141 Website: http://www.albemarle.org/index.aspor: http://www.monticello.org/