Swiss students and young physicians want a flexible goal-oriented GP training curriculum

Abstract

Background: A growing shortage of general practitioners (GPs), in Switzerland and around the world, has forced countries to find new ways to attract young physicians to the specialty. In 2017, Switzerland began to fund hundreds of new study places for medical students. This wave of young physicians will soon finish University and be ready for postgraduate training. We hypothesized that an attractive postgraduate training program would encourage interested young physicians to pursue a GP career.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey of young physicians from the Swiss Young General Practitioners Association (JHaS), members of Cursus Romand de médecine de famille (CRMF), and all current medical students (5^th or 6^th years) (n = 554) in Switzerland, excluding students indicating definitely not to become GPs. We asked all if they were likely to become a GP (Likert: 1-10), and then asked them to score general features of a GP training curriculum, and likely effects of the curriculum on their career choice (Likert scale). They then rated our model curriculum (GO-GP) for attractiveness and effect (Likert Scales, open questions).

Results: Most participants thought they would become GPs (Likert: 8 of 10). Over 90% identified the same features as an important part of a curriculum (“yes” or “likely yes”): Our respondents thought the GO-GP curriculum was attractive (7.3 of 10). It was most attractive to those highly motivated to become GPs. After reviewing the curriculum, most respondents (58%) felt GO-GP would make them more likely to become a GP. Almost 80% of respondents thought an attractive postgraduate training program like GO-GP could motivate more young physicians to become GPs.

Conclusions: Overall, medical students and young physicians found similar features attractive in the general and GO-GP curriculum, regardless of region or gender, and thought an attractive curriculum would attract more young doctors to the GP specialty.

Key points

• An attractive postgraduate training program in general practice can attract more young physicians to become GPs.

• In this study cross-sectional survey including medical students (n = 242) and young physicians (n = 312) we presented general features for a curriculum and a model curriculum for general practice training, for evaluation of attractiveness to our study population.

• General practice training curriculum provides flexibility in choice of rotations, access to short rotations in a wide variety of medical specialties, training in specialty practices as well, mentoring and career guidance by GPs and guidance in choosing courses/certificate programs necessary for general practice.

• These findings help building attractive postgraduate training programs in general practice and fight GP shortage.

Keywords:

• GP training
• postgraduate training curriculum in general practice: GP shortage
• vocational training in general practice
• primary care training
• family medicine postgraduate training

Declarations

Ethical approval and consent to participate

Swiss law on human research (Humanforschungsgesetz, HFG) does not require ethics committee approval to collect and analyze anonymous non-medical data. Consent was given by the President of JHaS and CRMF and from University Medical school dean offices in Bern, Lausanne, Geneva, Basel and from the medical students organization in Zurich to perform this study. The SIWF and SGIM was informed as well. Participants gave consent to participate in our study by accessing our online survey.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Competing interests

None declared.

Additional information

Funding

This project was funded by the Swiss University Conference and the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SUC project P-10). Within the framework of this financial support, Switzerland’s five university institutes of family medicine (in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich) collaborate as the Swiss Academy of Family Medicine (SAFMED).

Notes on contributors

Zsofia Rozsnyai

Zsófia Rozsnyai is a research fellow at the Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM) at the University of Bern, Switzerland and current medical resident at the Bernese Hospital Centre for Geriatrics (BESAS) Siloah, Guemligen, Switzerland.

Kali Tal

Kali Tal, PhD, is a scientific editor and qualitative researcher at the Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM) at the University of Bern, Switzerland.

Marius Bachofner

Marius Bachofner, MD, is a general practitioner, Luzern, Switzerland.

Hubert Maisonneuve

Hubert Maisonneuve, MD, MEd, is a general practitioner and senior lecturer at the Primary Care Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.

Cora Moser-Bucher

Cora Moser-Bucher, MD, is a general practitioner and researcher at the Center for Primary Care Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

Yolanda Mueller

Yolanda Mueller, MD, is a public health physician and senior researcher at the Institute of Family Medicine Lausanne (IUMF), Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Nathalie Scherz

Nathalie Scherz, MD, is a research fellow at the Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland and an attending physician in general internal medicine.

Sebastien Martin

Sébastien Martin, MD, is a general practitioner and coordinator of the cursus romand de médecine de famille, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Sven Streit

Sven Streit, PD, MD, MSc, is a general practitioner and researcher at the Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM) at the University of Bern, Switzerland.