Teaching preventive medicine: Experiences with a Combined Residency in Internal and Preventive Medicine

Background: The importance of integrating preventive medicine training into other residency programs was reinforced recently by the residency review committee for preventive medicine. Griffin Hospital in Derby CT has offered a 4-year integrated internal medicine & preventive medicine residency program since 1997. This article reports the outcomes of that program. Methods: Data were collected from surveys of program graduates & the American Boards of Internal & Preventive Medicine in 2005-2007, & analyzed in 2007-2008. Graduates rated the program in regard to job preparation, the ease of transition to employment, the value of skills learned, the perceived quality of board preparation, & the quality of the program overall. Graduates rated themselves on core competencies set by the Accreditation Committee for Graduate Medical Education. Results: Since 1997, the program has enrolled 22 residents. Residents & graduates contribute significantly toward quality of care at the hospital. Graduates take & pass at high rates the boards for both for internal & preventive medicine: 100% took internal medicine boards, 90% of them passed; 63% took preventive medicine boards, 100% of them passed). The program has recruited residents mainly through the match. Graduates rated most elements of the program highly. They felt well-prepared for their postgraduation jobs; most respondents reported routinely using preventive medicine skills learned during residency. Graduates either have gone into academic medicine (31%); public health (14%); clinical fellowships (18%); or primary care (9%); or they combine elements of clinical medicine & public health (28%). Conclusions: Integrating preventive medicine training into clinical residency programs may be an efficient, viable, & cost-effective way of creating more medical specialists with population-medicine skills. [Copyright 2008 American Journal of Preventive Medicine; published by Elsevier Inc.]