Abstract

ABSTRACT: As part of a primary care internal medicine training program, a visiting clinician program was created to improve house staff education, provide an ongoing critique of the training program, and improve communication between program faculty and other institutions. Thirty-one visitors participated in the program during the two years covered by this report. The visitors were effective teachers, and residents noted that teaching by local faculty improved because the visitors demonstrated effective teaching techniques. Visitors made 337 suggestions to improve the primary care medicine program. A telephone survey after the visit indicated that more than half of the visitors had applied ideas from the host institution to their own programs. The program enhanced resident education, provided a periodic review of the training program, and fostered communication with faculty in other programs. The programs evolution over the two years is reported and suggestions are offered for institutions planning similar programs.