Medical education and re-entry: Finding ways to re-educate the physician who wants to come back to clinical practice

Abstract

As physicians narrow their scope of practice, take on non-clinical roles or just take time off for personal reasons, a problem has developed for academic and accrediting bodies on how best to determine competency upon a return to a clinical role or expand the scope of practice. Currently in the US there are areas of physician shortages, and there is an estimated shortfall of 12,500–31,000 primary care physicians by 2025 (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/partnership-primary-health-care/en/). Many physicians are involved in maintenance of certification, state licensure requirements and meaningful use regulations in order to maintain the ability to practice clinical medicine. A licensed physician who is inactive must simply re-register (http://www.aafp.org/news/practice-professional-issues/20150303aamcwkforce.html), however, more and more institutions are refusing to credential physicians with a gap in clinical practice. According to the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), “It is important for the physician to understand that medical licensure renewal is based on continuing professional development even if taking a leave from clinical practice and the burden of proof is on the physician to show that he or she has met the appropriate requirements for licensure” (https://download.ama-assn.org/resources/doc/med-ed-products/x-pub/physician-reentry-regulations.pdf). There are many re-entry processes in the academic arena. It can be via a universities, medical societies, state medical boards or private organizations; however, creating a national reentry program will require looking to numerous funding sources (http://www.aafp.org/news/practice-professional-issues/20150303aamcwkforce.html). This article explores what has been done within the medical education arena for reentry and poses questions as to what should be done in the future, and by whom.

Keywords

• re-entry
• education
• medicine
• physician
• training
• family
• academic