Medical school department of general practice.

Abstract

The general practice department of the University of Tennessee was developed on the premise that medical schools should give students some actual orientation and experience in the various forms of medical practice. The teaching of all the specialties has been traditional, but general practice, which is the most widely practiced of all fields of medicine, has been totally neglected. The established specialty clinics and medical services within the schools and teaching hospitals are highly departmentalized and in nowise resemble the conditions found in general practice. Further, in years past, the faculty of medical schools had, to a large extent, conducted general practices before specializing, but today practically none have had any experience with this form of medical care. Recognizing this, many medical schools have critically evaluated their curriculums with the purpose of offering some form of orientation and experience in general practice to the student. The specialty departments have developed