The Impact of Graduate Medical Education on Army Medical Readiness
Abstract
Half of the Army doctors are involved with graduate medical education as students, teachers, or consultants. Army graduate medical education began with internship programs after WW I and residency programs after WW II. Graduate medical education was intended as a lure to attract and retain able physicians. It has grown to the point that half of the hospitalized Army patients receive their care at eight Army medical centers. Data on physician distribution, hospital workloads, and training programs demonstrate that the quality of medical care, medical readiness, and graduate medical education have become inseparably interdependent. Recent societal trends in civilian graduate medical education threaten the continuation of the Army's programs. Unless the Army effectively deals with these dangers, the concomitant pressures on quality of patient care and medical readiness will be unanswerable. By discontinuing its stand alone programs and affiliating with civilian teaching centers, the Army medical department could preserve the benefits of graduate medical education without the excessive drain on medical manpower currently experienced. Keywords: Medical services; Physicians; Theses.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 27, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA182756
Entities
People
- Paul L. Shetler
Organizations
- United States Army War College