Graduate education in family practice: a ten-year review

Assessment of the progress of graduate education in family practice after ten years shows that the original goals established for residency training in this specialty are being effectively met. There are now more than 360 approved family practice residencies in the United States with over 6,000 residents in training. Student interest in these programs has remained at a high level, and attrition has been low. Graduates of these programs have favored partnership and group family practice, and are well distributed in rural, suburban, and metropolitan areas. Heavy emphasis has been placed upon quality control mechanisms for both internal and external review of family practice residency programs. This paper outlines some concerns regarding the present status of family practice residencies, and suggests some directions for future development of these programs.