Graduate medical education.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Graduate Medical Training
• Residency Programs

Background:

• Annual surveys of residency programs provide data on accreditation and positions.
• Discussions on financing graduate medical education may influence future program numbers and sizes.
• Accreditation of subspecialty programs has increased program numbers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in residency program positions and unfilled positions.
• To identify reasons for changes in residency position availability.
• To examine the total number of residents and new entry residents over time.

Main Methods:

• Utilized annual surveys of accredited residency programs with a >95% response rate.
• Analyzed data on accredited programs, residency positions (PGY-1 and overall), and unfilled positions.
• Examined reasons cited by program directors for withdrawing or adding positions.

Main Results:

• The number of first-year (PGY-1) positions remained stable, while reported unfilled positions declined since 1983.
• The primary reason for withdrawn positions shifted from financial concerns (32% in 1983 to 16% in 1985) to candidate availability (49% in 1983 to 67% in 1985).
• Total residents on duty decreased in 1985, with declines in family practice, internal medicine, pathology, and surgery. New entry residents also decreased in 1985.

Conclusions:

• While residency program numbers grew, total resident numbers decreased in 1985, influenced by candidate availability.
• The shift in reasons for position changes highlights a growing challenge in recruiting suitable candidates.
• Future trends in residency program size and availability may be affected by candidate pools and financing discussions.