THE OPINION OF CURRENT AND RECENT INTERNAL-MEDICINE RESIDENTS REGARDING A 4TH YEAR OF TRAINING AND THE FUTURE OF GENERAL INTERNAL-MEDICINE

OBJECTIVE: TO determine the opinion of current residents and recent gr aduates of internal medicine training programs regarding an additional mandatory year of residency training. METHODS: A survey was made of 2 ,000 associate members of the American College of Physicians from five geographic regions. RESULTS: Of 917 respondents, 70.3% thought a four th year of training would impact negatively on their choice of a caree r in internal medicine, and 82.9% believed a mandatory fourth year sho uld not be required of residents choosing a subspecialty career. Furth ermore, 58.1% of physicians surveyed thought a mandatory fourth year w ould discourage individuals from pursuing subspecialty careers. If a m andatory fourth year of training were required, 50.7% respondents indi cated that it should consist of ambulatory training in a number of gen eral fields, while 49.6% physicians believed the training should focus on one or two subspecialty fields. CONCLUSIONS: A mandatory fourth ye ar of training is not supported by residents and recent graduates of t he programs surveyed. (C) 1997 by Excerpta Medica, Inc.