Changing the curriculum for internal medicine residency training

Abstract

The academic leadership of internal medicine is considering fundamental changes in the curriculum for internal medicine residency training. The impetus to change the curriculum is derived from various socioeconomic changes during the past 10 years. These changes have resulted in a drastically shortened length of stay of patients in hospitals, an emphasis on outpatient care by reimbursement agencies, and a sharp decline in the numbers of U.S. medical graduates selecting careers in internal medicine. Curriculum change will mandate that we define the roles of general internists and subspecialists in the delivery of primary care and that we re-define how we train these two groups of internists. We must focus attention on the issue of service compared with education and must confront the issue of how best to train foreign medical graduates. Any curriculum change will also have to accommodate residents selecting careers in research in order to ensure an adequate supply of physician-scientists. Before implementing any change in curriculum, we must put into place a rigorous, prospective evaluation system. We must be able to accurately assess both positive and negative outcomes of these changes and make necessary midcourse corrections. The impetus for curriculum change in internal medicine will, it is hoped, ultimately benefit the public, the trainees, and the practice of internal medicine.