REPORT OF COUNCIL ON MEDICAL EDUCATION
CME Report 4-A-07
Subject: Support for Use of Community-Based Physicians as Educators and Mentors for Medical Students and Resident Physicians
Presented by: Dennis B. Dove, MD, Chair
Referred to: Reference Committee on Science and Education
The Council on Medical Education recognizes that community-based physicians can play a valuable role in educating medical students and training resident physicians. Recent expansions in enrollments at Texasmedical schools, resulting in a 9.2 percent increase in entry-level students in the past three years, may present an even greater opportunity for community physicians to serve as educators and mentors. Further, as a reflection of the movement of patient care from tertiary care centers to ambulatory care settings, the national residency review committees (RRCs) for individual medical specialties now are requiring resident physicians to spend more clinical training time in ambulatory care settings. This change also provides even greater incentives for community-based physicians to serve in the role as educator to residents. National medical specialty societies have demonstrated their support for initiatives to better align specialty training and actual practice [i] .
A variety of benefits have been identified from increased use of community-based training sites, including:
- Student exposure to a large volume of patients in "real world" practice settings;
- Student engagement in experiential learning which is closely aligned with the conditions he or she will encounter when they start their own practices;
- Student development of competencies in interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and system-based practice as well as medical knowledge and patient care skills;
- Access for community physicians to the expansive educational and professional resources available at academic health centers, including libraries, continuing medical education and risk management programming, and faculty development;
- Potential for improved understanding and connectivity between community and academic physicians and possible deterrent to town-gown conflicts.
In recognition of the multiplicity of potential benefits to students, resident physicians, and community-based physicians, the council recommends adoption of TMA policy in support of this collaborative arrangement as follows:
The Texas Medical Association applauds use of Texas community physicians in educating medical students and residents in their practice venues and encourages continued development of partnerships between academic health centers and community-based physicians.
Recommendation: Approval as TMA policy.
[i] Federation of Pediatric Organizations, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, Society of General Internal Medicine, Association of American Medical Colleges, and American College of Physicians.
TMA House of Delegates: TexMed 2007
Last Updated On
July 07, 2010
Originally Published On
March 23, 2010