Longitudinal residency training: a survey of family practice residency programs

Most family practice residency training consists of 2-4-week block rotations in specific curricular areas, supplemented by training in the family practice center. An alternative model, longitudinal residency training, emphasizes training in curricular areas over a 3-year time period. This study determined the frequency of longitudinal training in family practice residency programs.

We conducted a survey of 477 residency program directors listed in the American Academy of Family Physicians 2000 Directory of Family Practice Residency Programs.

Sixty-eight percent (n=320) of program directors responded to the survey. A total of 3.6% of program directors described their program as "mostly longitudinal," and 14.2% described their program as "half block/half longitudinal." An additional 15% of program directors indicated interest in adopting or moving toward a longitudinal program in the next 2 wears. Responses suggest some inconsistencies in program directors' understanding of what constitutes a longitudinal curriculum.

Longitudinal residency training is reported in 18% of family practice residency programs. Further work is needed to develop a definition of longitudinal residency training.