This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Young Physicians' Views of Their Professional Education

Joel C. Cantor, ScD; Laurence C. Baker, MA; Robert G. Hughes, PhD

JAMA. 1993;270(9):1035-1040.

Abstract
Objective.
—To describe the views of young physicians (younger than age 45 years) regarding the appropriateness of specific aspects of medical training that have often been criticized as inadequate.

Design.
—Proportional analysis of survey data, stratified by medical school type and graduate medical education specialty and adjusted for demographics.

Setting.
—National sample of 4756 allopathic and osteopathic physicians trained in allopathic residencies representing a variety of practice settings.

Dependent Variables.
—Overall satisfaction with medical training, including medical school through residency and fellowship; satisfaction with preparedness for five aspects of practice and six types of patients; and satisfaction with the amount of time spent in each of six training settings.

Results.
—Eighty percent of young physicians reported that their formal medical training did an excellent or good job of preparing them for medical practice. Much smaller proportions (21% to 78%) reported excellent or good preparation to treat specific conditions or types of patients, and few (3%) reported being well prepared to manage business aspects of practice. Large proportions (35% to 63%) would prefer to have received more training in settings outside of hospitals, including managed care settings (67%). Significant differences in preparedness were observed by type of training; those trained in general and family practice reported better preparedness along many dimensions than did those trained in general internal medicine.

Conclusions.
—Young physicians generally confirm critiques of medical training noted by scholars and commissions. Health care reform is likely to increase the urgency for remedial action.

(JAMA. 1993;270:1035-1040)

Author Affiliations
From The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, NJ.

Footnotes
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the authors, and no endorsement by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is intended or should be inferred. Data reported in this article were collected by Mathematica Policy Research Inc, Princeton, NJ, under contract to The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and are available for public use through the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Reprint requests to The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, College Rd, PO Box 2316, Princeton, NJ 08543-2316 (Dr Cantor).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Introduction: Effectiveness of Continuing Medical Education: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Educational Guidelines
Moores et al.
Chest 2009;135:5S-7S.
FULL TEXT  

Changing education to improve patient care
Leach
Postgrad. Med. J. 2008;84:437-441.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Teaching Practice Management Skills to Pediatric Residents
Babitch
CLIN PEDIATR 2006;45:846-849.
ABSTRACT  

Shaping the Future of Academic Health Centers: The Potential Contributions of Departments of Family Medicine
Newton and DuBard
Ann Fam Med 2006;4:S2-S11.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Redesigning residency education in internal medicine: a position paper from the association of program directors in internal medicine.
Fitzgibbons et al.
ANN INTERN MED 2006;144:920-926.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Regional Variations in Health Care Intensity and Physician Perceptions of Quality of Care
Sirovich et al.
ANN INTERN MED 2006;144:641-649.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Variation in the Tendency of Primary Care Physicians to Intervene
Sirovich et al.
Arch Intern Med 2005;165:2252-2256.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Resident Physicians' Preparedness to Provide Cross-Cultural Care
Weissman et al.
JAMA 2005;294:1058-1067.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Tobacco Dependence Curricula in Undergraduate Osteopathic Medical Education
Montalto et al.
JAOA: Journal of the American Osteopathic Association 2004;104:317-323.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Smoking cessation services: use them or lose them
Britton
Thorax 2004;59:548-549.
FULL TEXT  

A study of smoking and smoking cessation on the curricula of UK medical schools
Roddy et al.
Tobacco Control 2004;13:74-77.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A Comparison of Smoking Habits Among Medical and Nursing Students
Patkar et al.
Chest 2003;124:1415-1420.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Primary Care for Elderly People: Why Do Doctors Find It So Hard?
Adams et al.
Gerontologist 2002;42:835-842.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Preparedness of Internal Medicine and Family Practice Residents for Treating Common Conditions
Wiest et al.
JAMA 2002;288:2609-2614.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Tobacco Intervention Training: Current Efforts and Gaps in US Medical Schools
Spangler et al.
JAMA 2002;288:1102-1109.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The power of the press in smokers' attempts to quit
Ferry
BMJ 2002;324:1346-1347.
FULL TEXT  

Worklife and Satisfaction of General Internists
Wetterneck et al.
Arch Intern Med 2002;162:649-656.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Efficacy of Resident Training in Smoking Cessation: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of a Program Based on Application of Behavioral Theory and Practice with Standardized Patients
Cornuz et al.
ANN INTERN MED 2002;136:429-437.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Competence Is a Habit
Leach
JAMA 2002;287:243-244.
FULL TEXT  

Changing education to improve patient care
Leach
Qual Saf Health Care 2001;10:ii54-58.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Preparedness for Clinical Practice: Reports of Graduating Residents at Academic Health Centers
Blumenthal et al.
JAMA 2001;286:1027-1034.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Treating Nicotine Addiction . Not a Medical Problem?
BRITTON et al.
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2001;164:13-15.
FULL TEXT  

E-Mail Communication Between Medical Students and Schoolchildren: A Model for Medical Education
Bernhardt et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2000;154:1258-1262.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Final Report of the FOPE II Pediatric Generalists of the Future Workgroup
Leslie et al.
Pediatrics 2000;106:1199e-1199.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Specific Clinical Competencies for Managing Care: Views of Residency Directors and Managed Care Medical Directors
Yedidia et al.
JAMA 2000;284:1093-1098.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Tackling Tobacco in the 21st Century
Lim
JAMA 2000;283:2174-2174.
FULL TEXT  

Physicians' Ethical Beliefs About Cost-Control Arrangements
Sulmasy et al.
Arch Intern Med 2000;160:649-657.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Adolescent Patients--Healthy or Hurting?: Missed Opportunities to Screen for Suicide Risk in the Primary Care Setting
Frankenfield et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2000;154:162-168.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Future of Pediatric Education II: Organizing Pediatric Education to Meet the Needs of Infants, Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults in the 21st Century
Pediatrics 2000;105:163-212.
FULL TEXT  

Tobacco Dependence Curricula in US Undergraduate Medical Education
Ferry et al.
JAMA 1999;282:825-829.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Changing Health Care System: A Research Agenda for Medical Education
Xu et al.
Eval Health Prof 1999;22:152-168.
ABSTRACT  

Health Care Reform and Postgraduate Psychiatric Education: Challenges and Solutions
The Medical Education Committee Group for Advancem
Acad. Psychiatry 1999;23:1-8.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Trends in Adult Visits to Primary Care Physicians in the United States
Stafford et al.
Arch Fam Med 1999;8:26-32.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Teaching medical students about tobacco
Richmond
Thorax 1999;54:70-78.
FULL TEXT  

Specialty differences in cardiovascular disease prevention practices
Stafford and Blumenthal
J Am Coll Cardiol 1998;32:1238-1243.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Worldwide survey of education on tobacco in medical schools
Richmond et al.
Tobacco Control 1998;7:247-252.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Comparing Generalist and Specialty Care: Discrepancies, Deficiencies, and Excesses
Donohoe
Arch Intern Med 1998;158:1596-1608.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Child Health Care in Changing Times
Leslie et al.
Pediatrics 1998;101:746-752.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The University of Massachusetts Medical Center Office-based Continuity Experience: Are We Preparing Pediatrics Residents for Primary Care Practice?
Roberts et al.
Pediatrics 1997;100:e2-e2.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Palliative Care in Undergraduate Medical Education: Status Report and Future Directions
Billings and Block
JAMA 1997;278:733-738.
ABSTRACT  

Investigating Sonography Graduate Perceptions and Their Influence on Educational Outcomes
Evans
Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography 1997;13:179-183.
 

Medical Student Education in Managed Care Settings: Beyond HMOs
Veloski et al.
JAMA 1996;276:667-671.
ABSTRACT  

Redesigning Graduate Medical Education -- Location and Content
Kassirer
NEJM 1996;335:507-509.
FULL TEXT  

Earnings of Male and Female Physicians
Hauswald et al.
NEJM 1996;335:524-525.
FULL TEXT  

Differences in Earnings between Male and Female Physicians
Baker
NEJM 1996;334:960-964.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A Report Card on the Physician Work Force in the United States
Rivo and Kindig
NEJM 1996;334:892-896.
FULL TEXT  

Tracking the Changes in Physician Practice Settings
Hughes and Baker
Arch Fam Med 1995;4:759-765.
ABSTRACT  

Career Choice in One General Pediatric Title VII-Supported Residency
Alpert et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1995;149:1019-1021.
ABSTRACT  

Managed Care and Its Effect on Residency Training in Internal Medicine
Wartman
Arch Intern Med 1994;154:2539-2544.
ABSTRACT  

The Physician's Role: Views of the Public and the Profession on Seven Aspects of Patient Care
McBride et al.
Arch Fam Med 1994;3:948-953.
ABSTRACT  

Defining the Generalist Physician's Training
Rivo et al.
JAMA 1994;271:1499-1504.
ABSTRACT