Adult medicine training experiences in a small-town family practice residency.
OBJECTIVE
To document the adult medicine experiences of family practice residents training in a small rural hospital.


METHODS
The authors tracked all inpatient admissions and consults for the first year of a newly accredited family practice residency program, located in a small-town, 80-bed hospital. They analyzed the data for volume of admissions, sources of admissions, diagnoses, lengths of stay, and ICU experience.


RESULTS
The residents saw a significant volume of patients, encountered a wide variety of diagnoses, and had ample opportunities for learning, in spite of the small number of occupied beds.


CONCLUSIONS
Family practice residents in small hospitals can have sufficient inpatient training experiences in adult medicine. The authors believe that the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education should encourage the development of residency programs in rural communities by simplifying the accreditation documentation requirements for smaller hospitals.
Holten
K B
KB
Clinton Memorial Hospital, Milwaukee, USA. keholtenmd@cmhregional.com
David
A K
AK
D000328:Adult; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000458:organization & administration; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D006743:Hospital Bed Capacity, under 100; D006780:Hospitals, Rural / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009820:Ohio; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012424:Rural Population