Family medicine
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To determine the impact of international health experiences on physicians in training, we studied 60 US medical students who participated in an International Health Fellowship Program (IHFP). ⋯ This study of IHFP fellows demonstrates multiple significant impacts of international health experiences on US medical students in training. The knowledge, attitudes, and skills gained through international health experiences are important for medical practice in the United States and abroad. Given the high interest of medical students in international health and the potential for positive educational impacts, medical schools should increase the availability of high-quality international experiences.
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Comparative Study
Results of the 2000 National Resident Matching Program: family practice.
The results of the 2000 National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) reflect substantial volatility in the perceptions and career choices of physicians entering graduate medical education in the United States. Ninety-four fewer positions (191 fewer US seniors) were filled in family practice residency programs through the NRMP in 2000, compared with 1999, as well as 60 fewer (66 fewer US seniors) in primary care internal medicine, 12 fewer in pediatrics-primary care (6 fewer US seniors), and 10 fewer (9 fewer US seniors) in internal medicine-pediatric programs. ⋯ While the needs of the nation, especially rural and underserved populations, continue to offer a market for family physicians, family practice experienced a third year of decline through the 2000 NRMP. Current forces, including media hype, market factors, lifestyle choices, debt, and the turbulence of the health care environment, appear to be influencing many students to choose subspecialty rather than primary care careers.