Family Practice Residency and Surgical Specialties

Family practice residency programs have recently become a fact in a number of medical schools, particularly in the more rural states. The purpose of this editorial is to present a philosophic and pragmatic approach to the role of the surgical specialties in family practice residency programs. The American Academy of Family Physicians has published Education for Family Practice, which contains guidelines for training in family practice. Surgery is used in the broad sense in these guidelines. I have substituted the term "surgical specialties" to include all of surgery. Under surgery, the guidelines state,

The resident should acquire competence in recognizing surgical emergencies and when appropriate referring them for necessary specialized care, an ability to evaluate conditions that require elective surgical management, an understanding of the kinds of surgical treatment that might be employed and the problems that may result from surgical procedures and their management. He should have sufficient knowledge