title: Principles to consider in defining new directions in internal medicine training and certification.
abstract: SGIM endorses seven principles related to current thinking about internal medicine training: 1) internal medicine requires a full three years of residency training before subspecialization; 2) internal medicine residency programs must dramatically increase support for training in the ambulatory setting and offer equivalent opportunities for training in both inpatient and outpatient medicine; 3) in settings where adequate support and time are devoted to ambulatory training, the third year of residency could offer an opportunity to develop further expertise or mastery in a specific type or setting of care; 4) further certification in specific specialties within internal medicine requires the completion of an approved fellowship program; 5) areas of mastery in internal medicine can be demonstrated through modified board certification and recertification examinations; 6) certification processes throughout internal medicine should focus increasingly on demonstration of clinical competence through adherence to validated standards of care within and across practice settings; and 7) regardless of the setting in which General Internists practice, we should unite to promote the critical role that this specialty serves in patient care.
authors.affiliation: Society of General Internal Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. bturner@mail.med.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Barbara J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Centor
authors.forename: Gary E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*