# Impacts of longitudinal training in patient-centered medicine on trainee physicians’ career choices and practice behaviors

## TL;DR

A longitudinal training program in patient-centered medicine influences physicians' career choices and practice behaviors, especially in serving underserved populations.

## Contribution

Demonstrates how a patient-centered medicine curriculum impacts trainee physicians' career paths and practice behaviors.

## Key findings

- 85% of graduates felt prepared to provide patient-centered care for underserved patients.
- 53% of graduates chose primary care residencies, and 67% opted for underserved settings.
- Key skills applied in practice included relationship-building and collaborative decision-making.

## Abstract

To investigate the impacts of
The Patient-centered Medicine (PCM) Scholars Program – a longitudinal curriculum designed to inculcate attitudes, values, and competencies to practice patient-centered medicine, with a special focus on underserved populations, addressing social determinants of health and health disparities, and advancing health equity and social justice – on graduates’ career choices and practice behaviors.

Cross-sectional online survey of 2010–2017 program graduates (N=191) and analysis of residency placement data 2010–2024 from an institutional website. Sixty-three graduates responded to the survey, translating to a 33% response rate.

Eighty-five percent of respondents reported that the program prepared them to provide patient-centered care for underserved and vulnerable patients. The most important PCM skills applied in practice included: building relationships with patients, communicating well with patients, and practicing collaborative decision-making. For residency training, 53% of graduates chose primary care settings, and 67% chose to work in underserved settings. The open-ended data revealed that students strongly valued the following aspects of the PCM Scholars Program: exposure to patient experience, dedication to serving the underserved, and building relationships with patients.

Our study provides evidence regarding the impacts of the PCM Scholars Program graduates’ career choices and their competencies to practice patient-centered care. The PCM Scholars Program has led to meaningful contributions to training the future healthcare workforce, to address the needs of our evolving patient populations with a special focus on advancing social justice and health equity. Long term, this work will continue to focus on bridging the gap between health professions education and practice and creating transformative educational innovations responsive to the need for a highly trained healthcare workforce that can meet the challenges of the 21
st century.