Training Physicians: The Case of Internal Medicine

Abstract

On Black Tuesday in 1987, many prestigious internal medicine residency programs failed to fill for the first time ever with US medical school graduates. This led to an intensive examination of residency training by chairpersons, deans, and others. As part of this effort, the authors launched an analysis, summarized in Training Physicians , to try to understand the reasons for the lack of popularity of what had been regarded (at least by internists) as the premier residency. The book draws from three diverse sources: a 17-year survey of internal medicine residency programs carried out by the University of Chicago Center for Health Administration Studies, interviews with 55 prominent internists, and a literature survey. Over the six years in which it was prepared, the authors developed larger objectives, and they attempt to use the material they gathered on internal medicine residency training to formulate insights into what has gone wrong with American