General practice residency training program in USA

Objective To learn more about general practice(GP)residency training program in USA and to provide helpful references to general practice training in China. Methods We went to University of Nebraska Medical Center(UNMC) and attended a training of GP faculty.During this time we got the facts of American GP residency training program and how American general practitioners worked. Results American GP residency training program had a relatively-mature development and had got well training effects.The following characters of the program were impressive.Firstly,the design of the program was strict and practical so as to ensure graduates provide safe,high-quality,comprehensive and continuous patient care in all settings.The program was designed with a broad range of block requirements and was focused on training the ability of solving common health problems and grasping common clinical techniques in community.Meanwhile,continuity clinic was designed in the training to allow graduates to provide comprehensive and continuous care.Secondly,American general practitioners provided medical service in clinic,hospital and nursing houses.The services ranged from prevention,health care,treatment,rehabilitation,and health education,etc.They also provide continuous management for patients with chronic diseases or in need of rehabilitation.In this way the general practitioners were able to provide comprehensive and continuous health care for patients and their families.Thirdly,communication and humanistic care were essential skills for general practitioners.American general practitioners paid more attention to communication and humanistic care for patients in both training program and their clinical practice.All of the above were valuable references to GP residency training in China. Conclusion Standardized and normalized residency training program is the footstone of GP training and the key guarantee of high quality primary care in USA.