Education to return nonpracticing physicians to clinical activity: a case study in physician reentry

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Physician Workforce

Background:

• US faces significant physician shortages, projected to reach 85,000 by 2020.
• Programs to facilitate physician reentry into practice are scarce.
• Oregon Health & Science University established a physician reentry program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an educational program designed to return non-practicing physicians to clinical practice.
• To assess the effectiveness of a structured reentry model for inactive physicians.

Main Methods:

• A case study approach was used to analyze the physician reentry program.
• Individualized curricula were developed based on physician assessments and practice scope.
• A condensed graduate medical education (GME) model was adapted for retraining.

Main Results:

• 14 physicians entered the program as special fellows with institutional support.
• 13 out of 14 participants successfully completed the program.
• Completed participants are now actively engaged in clinical practice.

Conclusions:

• The GME-based reentry program effectively reintroduced clinically inactive physicians to supervised patient care.
• The program provided necessary institutional liability coverage and facilitated return to practice.