OBJECTIVE: To survey all family medicine programs in Canada to determine how many positions for third-year training were available. DESIGN: The survey instrument contained questions to determine how many second-year positions and how many third-year positions each program had. Descriptions of third-year positions were requested. One survey question asked about the percentage of people with third-year training who initially went into rural or small-town practice. Last, each program director was asked for an opinion on how many third-year positions should be available for further training. SETTING: The survey was administered to the program directors of all 16 family medicine programs in Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Program directors of departments of family medicine. RESULTS: The survey indicated that the number of third-year positions was 18% of the number of second-year positions currently available (an increase over the 10% determined in Busing's study in 1989). The largest proportion of third-year training was in emergency medicine, and approximately 30% of third-year positions were primarily reserved for physicians intending to go into rural practice. Academic family physicians and residents are in fairly close agreement that third-year positions should represent 40% of second-year positions. CONCLUSION: A survey of Canadian family medicine programs during the 1996-1997 academic years indicated that third-year positions available for family medicine residents have almost doubled since Busing's original survey in 1989.
OBJECTIVE: To survey all family medicine programs in Canada to determine how many positions for third-year training were available. DESIGN: The survey instrument contained questions to determine how many second-year positions and how many third-year positions each program had. Descriptions of third-year positions were requested. One survey question asked about the percentage of people with third-year training who initially went into rural or small-town practice. Last, each program director was asked for an opinion on how many third-year positions should be available for further training. SETTING: The survey was administered to the program directors of all 16 family medicine programs in Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Program directors of departments of family medicine. RESULTS: The survey indicated that the number of third-year positions was 18% of the number of second-year positions currently available (an increase over the 10% determined in Busing's study in 1989). The largest proportion of third-year training was in emergency medicine, and approximately 30% of third-year positions were primarily reserved for physicians intending to go into rural practice. Academic family physicians and residents are in fairly close agreement that third-year positions should represent 40% of second-year positions. CONCLUSION: A survey of Canadian family medicine programs during the 1996-1997 academic years indicated that third-year positions available for family medicine residents have almost doubled since Busing's original survey in 1989.
Authors: A E Borgiel; J I Williams; M J Bass; E V Dunn; M K Evensen; C T Lamont; P J MacDonald; J M McCoy; R A Spasoff Journal: CMAJ Date: 1989-05-01 Impact factor: 8.262