Plea for two-year mixed internship for family physician and specialist.

Abstract

Internships in their present form have many inadequacies. There is no justification for perpetuating the existing status. The institution of a two-year mixed internship of the kind here described does not present insurmountable difficulties, and it would be compatible with the program recently recommended for family practitioners. It would also be desirable for future specialists. Remunerating the intern does not impair motivation; instead, by alleviating the anxiety of financial hardship, it enables him to give undivided energy to his work. Making the internship a stimulating experience is one of the responsibilities of the hospital. The forces now tending to aggravate the shortage of interns can be counteracted only by organizing a good educational program, offering good facilities, and in general by making the recommended two-year intern service so attractive that few graduates will want to forego it.