This document discusses rural medicine training for postgraduate medical students in Spain. It assessed the implementation of a mandatory three-month rural medicine practical period (RMPP) and degree of satisfaction among internal doctors. A survey of 154 training centers found the RMPP was implemented in 29 of 34 regions, usually lasting two months. Doctors saw an average of 25 patients per day and hospitals were a mean 50km away. Infrastructure problems included a lack of official training supervision and expenses for doctors. Overall satisfaction with the RMPP was high, with 155 doctors reporting very good satisfaction and 161 reporting good satisfaction.

1. Rural Medicine during the postgraduate training period in
our country (Spain)
Susana Valiente.¹ Lucas Supersaxco2. Mª Carmen Galindo3.Beatriz García4. Silvia Fernández5. Lorena Díaz6.Raquel Gómez7.Clara Pareja¹.Ramón Ciurana¹.Gemma Almonacid8.Elena Fernández9.Salvador
Pendón10.Carmen de Santiago11.Diego Terceiro12.Ángel Piñeiro13.
1.Health Centre (HC)” La Mina”. Sant Adrià de Besòs. Barcelona. 2.¿?.3 ¿?.4. HC “Los Siete Infantes de Lara” Logroño. 5. HC “Gonzalo de Berceo”. 6. HC Salt Girona. 7. HC “Barrio del Pilar”. Área 5. Madrid. 8. HC
Parquesol. Valladolid. 9. ¿?. 10. HC de Nerja. Málaga.11.¿?. 12.¿? 13. HC de Sárdoma. Vigo
Introduction: In Spain, after university, to become a Family Doctor you must do a four-year-practical-period
(FYPP) after having passed a National Exam called MIR. There are obligatory and opcional stages in these
FYPP that can take from 1 to 6 months each one.The Rural Medicine practical period, (RMPP), is one of the
newness stages in these FYPP.
Aim: To asses the implementation of the RMPP (three-month-compulsory-stage on a national basis since 2005)
and the degree of internal doctors (ID) satisfation.
Methods: Transverse, observational study carried out in a four-month-period in 2008. Subjects of study: 154
central training units (CTU). Information sources: CTU and ID through the email surveys, supported by
telephone calls and interviews. Variables: RMPP implementation (duration, training year, distance between
health centre and hospitals, number of visits per day, infrastructure problems) and degree of ID satisfation.
Rate of participation: CTU responses/total Rate of ID satisfation
CTU per region.
Very good: 155/400.
Good: 161/400.
Bad: 80/400.
Very bad: 4/400.
Questionary sent by e-mail
CCAA:
RESULTS:
CTU:
RMPP implementation: 29/34;
VARIABLES RESULTS Average duration: 2 months;
IMPLEMENTATION Mean number of visits/day: 25 patients;
TIME OF RURAL PRACTICAL
Mean distance to hospital: 50 km; (25-80).
ATTENDED VISITS/DAY
Infraestructure problems: lack of official training
RATE OF INTERNAL DOCTORS SATISFATION
responsibles for CTU, need of a private mean of
INCONVENIENTS transport and extra expenses for ID.
Conclusions:
The level of replay is acceptabled and new technologies have contributed to this fact.
The implementation of the RMPP gives different training opportunities depending on the CTU.
The lack of official training responsible limits the degree of implementation.
Due to the high level of satisfaction we encourage the NHS to provide CTU with resources.
These kind of studies are necessary to asses national training programmes.