Two combined residency programs in internal medicine and pediatrics.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Graduate Medical Education
• Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Training

Background:

• Combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency programs are increasingly popular.
• There is a lack of idea exchange and a national database for these programs.
• This paper reviews the experiences of two established combined programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the experiences of two combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency programs.
• To assess the curriculum, challenges, and outcomes of these dual-discipline programs.
• To provide insights for the development and sustainability of similar postgraduate training.

Main Methods:

• Review of the experiences within two combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency programs.
• Analysis of curriculum design, resident training challenges, and faculty role model availability.
• Examination of career outcomes for program graduates.

Main Results:

• Programs initially focused on primary care now offer training for primary care and subspecialties.
• Residents face challenges in achieving dual-discipline competence, exacerbated by a lack of faculty role models.
• Graduates pursue diverse careers, including primary care, subspecialty practice, and academic positions.

Conclusions:

• Combined residency programs offer unique advantages but require addressing challenges like faculty mentorship.
• Program success depends on graduates' ability to contribute unique skills and secure adequate funding.
• Further development requires enhanced collaboration and data sharing among programs.