Our Pillars

EDUCATION • SCHOLARSHIP • SERVICE • LEADERSHIP

AAMS-UC is built around four pillars that prepare UCLA students to engage thoughtfully with medicine and surgery: research, hands-on skills, outreach, and professional development.

AAMS-UC provides students with an early, structured introduction to the clinical, academic, and human sides of medicine. Members develop technical familiarity through simulation, explore questions through research, serve communities beyond UCLA, and build relationships with physicians, trainees, researchers, and fellow students. Together, these experiences help members become more informed, capable, and service-oriented future healthcare professionals.

Hands-On Skills

Learning through structured simulation

Hands-on learning is at the center of the AAMS-UC experience. Through guided workshops and simulation-based skills labs, students develop familiarity with surgical instruments, anatomy, procedural sequences, teamwork, and the precision required in medicine and surgery.

Foundational Skills

Surgical knot tying
Instrument identification and handling
Simple interrupted and running sutures
Vertical and horizontal mattress sutures
Vessel ligation
Tissue handling

Cardiothoracic simulation

Cardiac anatomy and dissection
Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)
Aortic valve replacement
Atrial and ventricular septal defect repair
Congenital cardiac procedures

Clinical simulation

Airway management and intubation
Intravenous access and injections
Ultrasound exposure
Laparoscopic simulation

Research

Advancing education through inquiry

Research allows members to examine how students learn, how educational programs can improve, and how evidence shapes medicine and surgery. AAMS-UC incorporates outcomes tracking into selected activities and encourages members to approach surgical education with curiosity, reflection, and a commitment to improvement.

What this pillar includes

Evaluating confidence and technical performance before and after selected workshops
Developing posters, abstracts, and educational research projects
Learning how to review scientific literature and communicate findings
Connecting students with faculty, physicians, and research mentors
Exploring clinical, translational, surgical, and medical-education research

From practice to measurable progress

In one AAMS-UC workshop assessment, average knot-tying performance increased from approximately 9.6 to 21.0 knots per minute, while self-reported instrument-handling confidence increased from approximately 1.6 to 3.7 out of 5.

Professional Development

Preparing students for the path ahead

Technical exposure is most meaningful when paired with mentorship, reflection, and an understanding of the responsibilities of medicine. AAMS-UC helps members learn from professionals at different stages of training while developing the communication, leadership, and professional skills needed for future healthcare careers.

Grand Rounds and clinical education

Grand Rounds introduce members to medical specialties, patient cases, anatomy, clinical reasoning, new technologies, and the decisions physicians make before, during, and after treatment.

Morbidity and Mortality discussions

Educational M&M sessions examine complications, unexpected outcomes, systems issues, and opportunities for improvement. These discussions emphasize accountability, patient safety, teamwork, and thoughtful reflection.

Mentorship and career development

Conversations with physicians, surgeons, residents, and medical students
Guidance on clinical experience, research, and professional preparation
Exposure to different medical and surgical specialties
Leadership opportunities within AAMS-UC
Peer mentorship between returning and incoming members
Medical school and career-development resources

Outreach

Expanding access through service

AAMS-UC believes that exposure to medicine should extend beyond the organization itself. Through service and outreach, members share health education, support community needs, and help younger students explore careers in science, medicine, and healthcare.

What this pillar includes

Blood drives and health-focused service events
Educational outreach to local schools and student groups
Hands-on demonstrations for younger students
Service with older adults and community organizations
Partnerships that make healthcare exposure more accessible

Our Pillars

EDUCATION • SCHOLARSHIP • SERVICE • LEADERSHIP

Hands-On Skills

Learning through structured simulation

Hands-on learning is at the center of the AAMS-UC experience. Through guided workshops and simulation-based skills labs, students develop familiarity with surgical instruments, anatomy, procedural sequences, teamwork, and the precision required in medicine and surgery.

Research

Advancing education through inquiry

What this pillar includes

Evaluating confidence and technical performance before and after selected workshops

Developing posters, abstracts, and educational research projects

Learning how to review scientific literature and communicate findings

Connecting students with faculty, physicians, and research mentors

Exploring clinical, translational, surgical, and medical-education research

From practice to measurable progress

In one AAMS-UC workshop assessment, average knot-tying performance increased from approximately 9.6 to 21.0 knots per minute, while self-reported instrument-handling confidence increased from approximately 1.6 to 3.7 out of 5.

Professional Development

Preparing students for the path ahead

Grand Rounds and clinical education

Grand Rounds introduce members to medical specialties, patient cases, anatomy, clinical reasoning, new technologies, and the decisions physicians make before, during, and after treatment.

Morbidity and Mortality discussions

Educational M&M sessions examine complications, unexpected outcomes, systems issues, and opportunities for improvement. These discussions emphasize accountability, patient safety, teamwork, and thoughtful reflection.

Mentorship and career development

Conversations with physicians, surgeons, residents, and medical students

Guidance on clinical experience, research, and professional preparation

Exposure to different medical and surgical specialties

Leadership opportunities within AAMS-UC

Peer mentorship between returning and incoming members

Medical school and career-development resources

Outreach

Expanding access through service

AAMS-UC believes that exposure to medicine should extend beyond the organization itself. Through service and outreach, members share health education, support community needs, and help younger students explore careers in science, medicine, and healthcare.

What this pillar includes

Blood drives and health-focused service events

Educational outreach to local schools and student groups

Hands-on demonstrations for younger students

Service with older adults and community organizations

Partnerships that make healthcare exposure more accessible