[Employment situation of general practitioners trained in a teaching unit.]

To find out the employment situation of general practitioners who are trained in a teaching unit.

Cross-sectional descriptive study.

A Family and Community Medicine Teaching Unit (UDMFyC) in Santiago de Compostela.

All general practitioners trained in this Teaching Unit (N=161).

Sex, age, promotion, origin, new MIR, previous specialty, current position, type of work contract, date of first stable contract, line position duties and participation in teaching activities.

The majority of ex-residents are employed in Primary Care (51.9%), followed by hospital posts and 061 (Emergency Doctor Service) with 23.1% and 18.1%, respectively. Most of the graduates start off in a health centre (89.5%), gradually decreasing until it occupies the fourth place (4.8%), behind 061 (47.6%), hospital emergency departments (23.8%) and CPD (14.3%). More than half (50.6%) have a tenured post; 41.1% are interns and the remaining 8.2% are temporary. The median delay in obtaining a stable contract (permanent or temporary) is 18.9 months (SD=11.9); with variations of one year between some promotions and being in the post. At some time, 6.5% have occupied management posts in Primary Care and 5.2% in central services headquarters.

There is much stability in the employment positions and little delay in obtaining them. The emergency doctor service and hospital emergency department are the preferred destinations of the recently promoted general practitioners.