Joining one of the many Medical Education Associations can be a great way of meeting like minded people in the discipline and building collaborations. In this blog Sarah Allsop highlights a few of the available networks you can join.

Networking and national work can be a fantastic opportunity of medical educators to learn, develop and share their ideas with increased reach and impact. One of the ways of doing this is by joining one of the Medical Education Associations. For the UK, three of the main associations working in Medical Education are listed below, but there are many associations around the world:

• The Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME)
• The Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE)
• The Academy of Medical Educators (AoME)

To start with you may simply want to join an association, to get linked in with their publications, discounts to their events or to undertaking training or accreditation. Each association offers a slightly different emphasis so it is worth having a look at their websites to consider which might be the best fit for you and your work, and of course you can join as many associations as you want. There are often discounted memberships for students and those in low-income situations aiming to make joining more inclusive.

Once you are a member, there are also calls to be involved in the committees which can further help to facilitate work on policies and strategic aspects of medical education. Watch out for these calls via social media and on association websites. We will also post about opportunities we spot right here on the BMERG blog too, so subscribe to get the latest news direct to your inbox, and follow us on twitter @BristolUniBMERG.

Which are your favourite #MedEd Associations to be part of? Add your thoughts in the comments section below!