[Roles of general medicine faculties in undergraduate medical education]

Education is most important in the roles of general medicine faculties. It is desirable that family physicians occupy a half of the total physicians, in order that the people lead healthy life. The educational subject of the general medicine is the training of a family physician. It includes following three areas: (1) basic clinical competence, (2) community-based primary care, and (3) general medicine for inpatients services. In Hokkaido University Hospital, we are mainly doing the outpatient clinic. Many of the patients need a state of psychosocial approach. University hospitals are not suited for the study of primary care, although it is suited for the education of basic clinical competence. For that students need to practice it in the clinic of the community rather than university hospitals. Faculty development is important to the reform of medical education. Many of medical schools of the whole country have come to hold the workshop of faculty development. Hokkaido University School of Medicine carried out it 3 times. The Japanese Academy of Primary Care is holding a workshop every year. It is requested that the university faculties cooperate with the primary care physicians in the community for improving medical education.