Training the Internist

Excerpt

To the editor: The perspective in the March issue by Dr. Barondess on primary care training for the general internist (1) proposes a hybrid of Marcus Welby and the Renaissance Man. This debate about who is best qualified to deliver primary care will no doubt continue for many years, but most of that care will eventually be delivered by the most appropriately trained specialty. Although 40% of medical school graduates opt for internal medicine training, less than one tenth of these enter primary care training (2). Adding 2 more years of hospital-based training is unlikely to make this group any