Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions



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CURRENT ISSUE BACK ISSUES SUBSCRIBE ADVERTISE ABOUT JCEHP FOR AUTHORS JCEHP AWARD SEARCH (Members only) FULL-TEXT		Volume 30 (2) Volume 30, Issue 2, Spring 2010 J Contin Educ Health Prof 2010; 30(2) ORIGINAL RESEARCH An Educational Intervention to Return Nonpracticing Physicians to Clinical Activity: A Case Study in Physician Reentry Elizabeth A. Bower, Clea English, Dongseok Choi, Andrea S. Cedfeldt, Donald E. Girard A b s t r a c t Introduction: Reports estimate the United States will face a shortage of 55 000–85 000 physicians by the year 2020. Because many physicians are leaving clinical practice for periods of time, a potential strategy for addressing the shortage is to encourage them to return to the work force; however, few programs exist to prepare physicians to reenter practice. Methods: A case-study review of an innovative educational intervention to return nonpracticing physicians to clinical activity was undertaken. The Divisions of Continuing and Graduate Medical Education (GME) collaborated with clinical departments to establish a physician reentry program. Results: Fourteen candidates have been accepted into the program. Accepted candidates were appointed special fellows at the university and provided with restricted institutional license and liability coverage. Based on retraining assessment and planned scope of practice, applicants and program directors designed individualized curricula. As trainees demonstrated clinical proficiency, their level of independence increased in a condensed version of the residency training model. Of the 14 accepted candidates, 13 successfully completed the program and are actively engaged in clinical practice. One trainee did not successfully complete the program. Discussion: This reentry program reintroduced clinically inactive physicians into supervised direct patient care. Use of the GME model allowed acceptance of special fellows and provided institutional malpractice coverage for them. Lessons for Practice Returning previously practicing physicians to active clinical care is 1 strategy to increase the number of physicians in the work force; however, few programs exist to prepare them for reentry. The most common reasons for physicians to seek a reentry training program were expanded scope of practice, recovery from personal illness, and release from family responsibilities. Appointing reentering physicians as fellows in graduate medical education facilitated their acceptance by faculty and other learners and provided a method to provide institutional malpractice coverage during their training. Thirteen of 14 physicians trained in this hands-on reentry training program are currently employed in active clinical practice.
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