The Medical Student Delegation of the American Society of Anesthesiologists was founded in 2003 for three purposes:

• To encourage medical student participation in the ASA
• To provide up-to-date resources for medical students pursuing careers in anesthesiology
•  To provide opportunities in leadership, research and education in the field of anesthesiology on a state and national level

Over its past four years of existence, the Medical Student Component (MSC), formerly the Medical Student Delegation, has made tremendous strides within the ASA, and in October 2007, was granted component status. This was a large step forward for the group, given that it was only in 2005 that for the first time, the Medical Student Governing Council, the group of five students that oversaw the previous Medical Student Delegation, voted in the Resident Component House of Delegates at the 2005 ASA Annual Meeting. Over this past year, the Governing Council has continued to work toward increasing the number of students exposed to anesthesiology through increasing medical student membership in the ASA, and through the establishment of the Medical Student Component.

The MSC serves a twofold purpose: 1. to increase student involvement at a state and national level; and 2. to increase student exposure to anesthesiology at medical schools across the nation. MSC members are composed of students from every medical school across the nation. The MSC convened for the first time at an organized gathering at the 2006 ASA Annual Meeting. It was here that for the first time, the MSC members voted on the members of Medical Student Governing Council. Delegates from medical schools across the country were in attendance, and as MSC representatives, these students returned to their respective institutions to increase medical student exposure to anesthesiology through Anesthesiology Interest Group lectures and workshops.

While medical student membership in the ASA is at an all time high, the MSC is still only in the early stages of its existence. As we continue to grow, we hope to provide more resources to our members through the new booklet, The Medical Students Guide to Anesthesiology, resources for residency applications, lectures and panels at the ASA Annual Meetings, and research opportunities in anesthesiology.