Family Medicine: Aiming higher

We should not train FP residents to believe they are less capable of learning than specialty residents. We should not train them to believe that 4 years of medical school and a full residency only qualify them to be an “expert in outpatient care”—essentially an expensive mid-level practitioner. We should train them to care for patients, with common medical problems, better than a specialist can. Better, because we have a comprehensive perspective on the patient’s care. Better, because we are flexible and multiply skilled. Better, because we have been well trained and can prove our competency. We should expect to train the best students, in the best residencies, to provide the best medical care-comprehensive primary care.

If we aim for less, why waste our time?

Jeff Smith, MD, JD
Chief Executive Officer
Contra Costa Regional Medical Center

Stuart Forman, MD, FAAFP
Assistant Director Critical Care Services
Contra Costa Regional Medical Center Chair,
STFM Group on Hospital Medicine and Procedural Training

Jeremy Fish, MD
Residency Director
Contra Costa Regional Medical Center Family
Practice Residency Program