A longitudinal study of residency-trained emergency physicians

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Medical Education
• Physician Workforce Studies

Background:

• The early years of Emergency Medicine (EM) residency programs aimed to establish a specialized physician workforce.
• Understanding the practice patterns of early EM graduates is crucial for assessing training program effectiveness and future healthcare needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the 1979 practice patterns of Emergency Medicine (EM) graduates.
• To identify the distribution of EM physicians in urban versus rural settings.
• To explore challenges faced by rural EM physicians and assess long-term commitment to the specialty.

Main Methods:

• Annual survey of Emergency Medicine (EM) graduate physicians from 31 programs conducted between 1977 and 1979.
• Analysis of 1979 data focusing on practice location, patient care activities, and additional professional roles.
• Examination of self-reported challenges, particularly concerning skill acquisition and retention in rural practice.

Main Results:

• 96% of EM graduates were actively providing patient care in 1979.
• Nearly half of EM graduates practiced within their training states.
• 38.8% of practicing EM physicians were in urban locations, while only 7% worked in rural hospitals.
• Rural EM physicians reported significant difficulties in learning and retaining medical skills.

Conclusions:

• The majority of early EM graduates entered direct patient care roles.
• A notable geographic disparity exists, with a low proportion of EM physicians in rural areas.
• Challenges in skill maintenance in rural settings may impact the distribution and effectiveness of the EM physician workforce.