Family practice residency training capacity in Wisconsin: current status and future projections

High quality health care depends on superior training and outstanding residency opportunities for new physicians of all types, especially those entering family practice. But concern over the availability of adequate opportunity has caused the medical community concern across the country. Wisconsin is no different. To estimate future residency needs in the Badger State, we examined recent trends in specialty selection and information gathered from 1995 medical school graduates entering family practice residency training here and in other states. We surveyed all Wisconsin medical school graduates entering family practice training positions in July 1995, asking them to rank in-state and out-of-state programs, as well as graduates' motivations for selecting those programs.

Response rates to our surveys were exceptional. A full 86% (n = 30) those entering residency in Wisconsin and 95% (n = 18) for those in out-of-state programs responded. One graduate who entered a Wisconsin program ranked an out-of-state program higher and one graduate who entered an out-of-state program ranked a Wisconsin program higher than their ultimate residency sites. Not surprisingly, the variable most predictive of whether students pursued training in Wisconsin rather than out-of-state was the student's state of residency before entering medical school.

The resulting trends show positive trends toward state-based family practice training, but may not be as optimistic as experts first predicted. If interest in family practice rises to goals set by the state's medical schools, more training positions will be needed, but not as many as proposed in medical school plans to the state Legislature.