Where, how, and from whom do family practice residents learn? A multisite analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Family Medicine Training
• Physician Professional Development

Background:

• Family practice residency programs are crucial for developing competent physicians.
• Understanding the nature of teacher-learner interactions is vital for optimizing medical education.
• Previous research has not fully characterized the educational experiences of family practice residents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the types and patterns of teacher-learner events experienced by family practice residents.
• To evaluate the influence of family practice faculty versus other specialists on resident education.
• To identify potential deficiencies in the current educational models for family medicine.

Main Methods:

• A multisite study involving 2,481 teacher-learner events.
• Data collected from family practice residents across four training programs.
• Events categorized by location, activity, and supervising teacher.

Main Results:

• Distinct patterns of teacher-learner interaction varied across the three years of training.
• Hospital-based care supervised by non-family practice specialists was the most frequent educational setting.
• Family practice faculty influence was minimal, with outpatient learning with other specialists often exceeding that with family physicians.

Conclusions:

• Current educational models may provide inadequate role modeling and direct teaching by family practice specialists.
• There are significant concerns regarding the adequacy and appropriateness of educational influences on family practice residents.
• Residency training may benefit from increased and more targeted faculty involvement from within the specialty.