Membership
When you join the VAFP you will gain a local support system committed to helping you save time and money while practicing smarter and staying informed. Your membership is not only a commitment to your colleagues and the well-being of your specialty, but more importantly, it is an investment in your career.
As a member of the VAFP, you’ll benefit from:
• Advocacy and representation at a state and national level
• Continuing medical education offerings that are family medicine specific
• Communications and services to keep you up to date
• Cost effective VAFP’s dues structure
• Leadership opportunities at the committee and board levels
• Access to the VAFP’s dedicated staff to answer your questions
• Monthly e-mail updates and a quarterly magazine
• Online registration for all VAFP events
• Facebook/Twitter social media content to keep members connected with the Academy
• Easy online CME reporting, tracking, and planning
Advocacy and Representation – VAFP leaders and staff working to promote the specialty of family medicine.
The VAFP advocates through its legislative efforts before policymakers, legislators, the media, patient organizations, and allies to represent your interests. The VAFP contracts with a legislative consultant who keeps the Academy aware of legislative issues that affect family physicians to include:
• Legislation
• Medicaid
• Medicare
• Medical Malpractice
• Scope of Practice
• Licensure Issues
• Department of Public Health
• Insurance Commissioner’s Office
FamDocPAC is the VAFP’s political action committee and advocates legislative issues important to Virginia Family Physicians. FamDocPAC helps the VAFP maintain its profile as a key player in Virginia’s governmental affairs through an effective political action committee and key contact program.
The VAFP brings information to members and provides a united stand on issues important to family physicians. The VAFP is represented by family physicians on state boards, government and regulatory entities, agencies and committees. On the national level, the VAFP is represented on AAFP Commissions and the AAFP Board of Directors. The VAFP Board meets quarterly to determine the objectives and priorities of the PAC.
The VAFP also provides a clinic during the Virginia General Assembly each year called the Family Physician of the Day Program. While seeing patients in the clinic, VAFP members also have an opportunity to talk with legislators.
Continuing Medical Education – Quality education for Virginia Family Physicians
The VAFP provides Continuing Medical Education courses on a wide variety of topics that focus on family medicine. The two major CME conferences are the Winter Family Medicine Weekend usually held at Wintergreen Resort in late January/early February and the VAFP Annual Meeting and Exhibition held each summer at various locations throughout the Commonwealth. Members receive significant savings on registration fees for all of the VAFP sponsored programs.
In addition, the Academy sponsors several Family Medicine Certification group sessions annually that assist members complete their ABFM Board Certification requirements. The VAFP reports credit earned from all CME meetings directly to the AAFP as a member benefit. If an outside organization requests the VAFP to promote their CME, a prerequisite for consideration is that the program has received AAFP Prescribed Credit.
Communications/Services – Keeping members informed
The VAFP is able to keep members informed through several means of communication and benefits that assist with daily practice.
• VAFP magazine – The Virginia Family Physician
• VAFP website – www.vafp.org
• VAFP Facebook page
• VAFP Twitter – @VAFP_FamilyDocs
• Monthly Update E-mails
• VAFP Career Center
• Daily INFOPOEMs
• Discounted Employment Contract Review