| Abstract: | As part of an assessment of interests and needs for continuing medical education among academic general internists, a 20 per
cent random sample of the 1985 physician membership of SREPCIM was asked to describe how they divided their time among basic
work activities (patient care, teaching, housestaff supervision, administration, and research), how they perceived the importance
of specific skills related to those basic activities, and how interested they were in participating in a faculty development
program in order to improve those skills. Although respondents reported a great diversity of work roles, attitudes, and values,
there was a strong and consistent tendency to value and want to improve upon only those skills related to basic activities
in which physicians were already spending more time. Also, physicians who spent more time in direct patient care were significantly
less likely to value classroom teaching or research, less likely to be doing teaching or research, and less motivated to improve
their skills in those activities. Likewise, faculty who spent more time doing research were less interested in improving their
patient care skills. The implications of these findings for meeting current and future manpower needs of divisions of general
internal medicine are discussed.
Received from the Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
90024.
Supported by a Faculty Development Contract from the Health Resources and Services Administration (240-84-0058). |
