Letters to the Editor - January 1, 2002 - American Family Physician

Letters to the Editor

Additional Letters to the Editor Available Online (www.aafp.org/afp/20020101/lettersonline.html):

Guidelines and Management of HIV-Infected Persons Kirk M. Chan-Tack, M.D.

Garlic and Hypercholesterolemia Eric Yarnell, N.D.

Women in Medicine: Challenges in Part-Time Residencies

TO THE EDITOR: Many important points are raised in the "Resident and Student Voice" piece on women in medicine.¹ I would like to expand on the challenges facing women physicians when having children. As the author points out, many physicians feel "there is no right time to have a child in medicine."¹ I was one of those who thought that the best time for me to have a child was during medical school, because of the flexibility of leave time and the support of my partner. I was also confident that I would be able to find or create a part-time residency in my chosen specialty of family practice, but I found I was wrong. Although my program was admirably flexible, the infrastructure did not exist to support a part-time residency. Now, as I graduate from residency with two sons who are four and six years old, I feel even more strongly about the need for part-time residencies.

Part-time residencies have been investigated since the early 1970s² and have been implemented in many different programs throughout Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. A survey³ of all medical students at the Medical College of Pennsylvania indicated that 39 percent would probably or definitely apply to part-time residencies if they were available. Moreover, longitudinal data on the outcomes of a part-time residency indicate a higher level of clinical and humanistic skills in the part-time residents.⁴

Unfortunately, part-time residencies in family practice are hard to find. There are few guidelines for interested applicants,⁵ and they are put in the position of having to gather information as they are interviewing. The residency directory information regarding part-time residencies is often incorrect or outdated. Also, residency directors may not be in a position to independently create alternative tracks.

I urge the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Board of Family Practice to investigate and promote the creation of dedicated part-time residencies in family practice. Our match numbers reflect a shift from primary care areas to subspecialization; the 2001 FP program fill rate of 76 percent was the lowest since 1994. Attracting and retaining excellent candidates who may have other personal and professional obligations will help our specialty develop. It is time to incorporate the values of family practice into our actual training programs and to support our residents the same way we train them to support their patients.

SARAH LESKO, M.D.
drlesko@worldnet.att.net
San Francisco, Calif.

REFERENCES

Brian SR. Women in Medicine. Am Fam Physician 2000;64:174-7.

Kaplan HI. Part-time residency training: an approach to the graduate training of some women physicians. J Am Med Womens Assoc 1972;27:648-50.

Burkett GL, Gabrielson IW. A study of the demand for part-time residency programs. J Med Educ 1976;51:829-35.

Carling PC, Hayward K, Coakley EH, Wolf AM. Part-time residency training in internal medicine: analysis of a ten-year experience. Acad Med 1999;74:282-4.

Rider EA. How to arrange a shared or part-time residency. J Am Med Womens Assoc 1992;47:138-9.

Corrections

An item in "Clinical Briefs" contained an incorrect telephone number. In the item entitled "FDA Approves New Monthly Contraceptive" (December 1, 2001, page 1906), the correct telephone number for the manufacturer of NuvaRing is 877-688-2746.

An item in "Clinical Briefs" contained an incorrect telephone number. In the item entitled "FDA Approves Breath Test for H. pylori Infection (November 15, 2001, page 1768), the correct telephone number for the manufacturer of Breathtek UBT, a test that detects active Helicobacter pylori infection, is 888-637-3835.

Send letters to Jay Siwek, M.D., Editor, American Family Physician, 11400 Tomahawk Creek Parkway, Leawood, KS 66211-2672; fax:913-906-6080; e-mail: afplet@aafp.org. Please include your complete address, telephone number and fax number. Letters should be double-spaced, fewer than 500 words and limited to one table or figure and six references. Please submit a word count. Letters submitted for publication in AFP must not be submitted to any other publication. Possible conflicts of interest must be disclosed at time of submission. Submission of a letter constitutes transfer of copyright to the American Academy of Family Physicians. The editors may edit letters to meet style and space requirements.

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