Value of a regional family practice residency training program site: perceptions of residents, nurses, and physicians

To examine the perceptions of residents, nurses, and physicians about the effect of a regional family practice residency site on the delivery of health services in the community, as well as on the community health care providers.

Interviews and focus groups were conducted.

Nanaimo, BC.

A total of 16 residents, 15 nurses, and 20 physicians involved with the family practice residency training program at the Nanaimo site.

A series of semistructured interviews and focus groups was conducted. Transcripts of interviews and focus groups were analyzed thematically by the research team.

Overall, participants agreed that having a family practice residency training site in the community contributed to community life and to the delivery of health services in the following ways: increased community capacity and social capital; motivated positive relationships and attitudes in the hospital and community settings; improved communication and teamwork, as well as accessibility and understanding of the health care system; increased the standard of care; and facilitated the recruitment and retention of family physicians.

This family practice residency training site was beneficial for the community it served. Future planning for distributed medical education sites should take into account the effects of these sites on the health care community and ensure that they continue to be positive influences. Further research in this area could focus on patients' perceptions of how residency programs affect their care, as well as on the effect of residency programs on wait times and workload for physicians and nurses.