The Future of Family Medicine: An Update on Re-Envisioning Residency Training

Last year, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) announced plans for a major revision of the accreditation standards for Family Medicine residencies. Since then, the major family medicine organizations have collaborated to inform the work of the Family Medicine Review Committee and ACGME as they prepare to define the requirements that will outline the training guidelines to prepare future family physicians. This is a historic opportunity to rethink health care and residency education.

In July, to begin the dialogue, the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) proposed six key questions for the specialty to consider. Last month, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) hosted the Re-Envisioning Family Medicine Residency Education national summit, co-organized with ABFM. Almost 60 participants were selected to attend though a national nomination process, based on demographic diversity (age, gender, race/URM status); geographic region (region of the country, rurality, etc); practice type; osteopathic/allopathic training, and included patient/public members. Additionally, members of the ABFM Residency Task Force and the ACGME Writing Group attended as observers. A total of 33 thought-provoking papers were drafted in advance and shared with summit attendees to advance the conversation of the summit. ABFM also received over 3,000 survey responses from residents, residency faculty, and early, mid and later-career family physicians that substantially helped inform the plans for the summit and the eventual revisions to the family medicine residency training guidelines.

As the ACGME Family Medicine Writing Group begins to draft new standards for residencies, it is important to ground that work with the end in mind. This month’s editorial in JABFM, examines the issues still facing us. As the discipline considers this major revision, it is critical that family physicians leave residencies adequately trained to address these problems and are able to help lead change in health and health care. We are eager to work with both clinical and educational organizations to promote excellence in residency education.

Our progress so far in 2020 has been invigorating! We are energized by the survey responses and summit participation and excited to move forward with continued progress in 2021. We are appreciative of the 3,000 Diplomates and Residents who give their time and energy to family medicine education, as well as to help continually inform ABFM from their own vantage points. The Re-Envisioning Family Medicine Residency Education website, hosted by ABFM, will continue to be updated with valuable information as the papers and reports are finalized. We invite you to visit this site and let us know your thoughts on this important topic.