The Family Medicine Length of Training Pilot Project emanates from the concepts developed in the Future of Family Medicine Report and the preliminary findings of the first ever residency redesign experiment in Family Medicine, Preparing the Personal Physician for Practice (P4). The project seeks to answer the following research questions:
- What effect does length of training have on applicant and match results?
- What effect does length of training have on scope of practice after graduation?
- What effect does length of training have on graduates’ ability to practice in Patient Centered Medical Homes?
- What effect does length of training have on patient continuity?
- What effect does 4 years of training have on clinical knowledge?
- Is adding a fourth year of training financially feasible for residency programs?
- What effect does 4 years of training have on graduate’s practice setting?
- What effect does 4 years of training have on preparedness for practice after graduation?
Common curricular changes of 4-year programs include:
- Increased use of a longitudinal format
- Achieving extra training in areas of concentration (e.g. maternal-child health, sports medicine, geriatrics, leadership/academics, rural medicine) while maintaining comprehensive family medicine skills
- Expanded patient-centered medical home (PCMH) training
- Flexibility and customization
- “Capstone” projects
- Advanced degree opportunities
The Length of Training Pilot Project is funded by the American Board of Family Medicine Foundation, and governed by the ACGME Review Committee for Family Medicine.