Barriers and methods to improve office-based procedural training in a family medicine residency.

Abstract

Family Medicine is a unique field in which the physician is required to be knowledgeable about many different aspects of medicine across all ages, genders, and specialties. This knowledge includes the ability to perform a wide variety of procedures including obstetric, dermatology, gynecology, and sports medicine procedures.1-4 Family Medicine residency programs are faced with the challenge of educating residents about these procedures and ensuring that the residents achieve competency in those skills prior to graduation.5-8 Learning procedural skills is a gradual process that progresses through multiple steps, with the key elements being exposure to and ability to perform the procedure.9 During training, there must be a sufficient number of procedures in order for the resident to achieve competency. This paper will discuss a simple intervention that allowed the Family Medicine Center (FMC) to increase the number of procedures performed in the clinic with residents directly involved, thereby, increasing the opportunity for residents to participate and learn these skills. Implementing procedure training Needs assessment An online survey service was used to send a needs assessment to all residents and attending physicians of the FMC. The questions included asking for the types of procedures the physicians performed, importance of performing procedures, reasons for offering procedures in the FMC setting, as well as satisfaction with the number of procedures currently performed in the clinic. For residents there was a question regarding the kind of procedures they thought they were likely to perform upon graduation. Physicians were asked about possible strategies for improving procedure training in the FMC as well as potential barriers to this type of training.