Residency in family medicine -: Problems and solutions

OBJECTIVE To identify the problems encountered by residents during training and the solutions they proposed. DESIGN Qualitative study. SETTING Family practice program at Sherbrooke University. PARTICIPANTS Sixty-eight residents in the Family practice program between 1999 and 2000. METHOD We used the nominal group technique with four groups of participants. Then we held five 3-hour discussion groups to explore, difficulties and solutions in depth. Finally, data were validated with a written questionnaire. MAIN FINDINGS At least 20% of respondents confirmed 65 difficulties and 61 solutions. Three major themes emerged: the many demands of the residence program, residents' personal experience of the program, and the lack of time for personal life. CONCLUSION Publication of these results could help residents develop proactive adaptive strategies to deal with the stress of their training programs. Certain adjustments will be made by the program administration to make it easier for residents to manage their stress.