The document discusses the rural training period for family medicine residents in Spain. It was introduced in 2005 to promote rural practice and complete residents' competencies. The goals are to familiarize residents with the role of general practitioners in rural communities and emphasize holistic and equitable care. National and regional organizations collaborate to implement the rural periods, which last 1-3 months and involve learning from experienced rural physicians. The training aims to teach residents about rural primary care delivery and working with local health and social services.

1. The Family Medicine Rural
Training Period in Spain
Jaume Banqué Vidiella
CAP Xerta. Institut Català de la Salut. Spain
Euripa – Semfyc
jbanquev@meditex.es

2. Training in Family Medicine in
Spain
• 1978. Family Medicine Speciality was created in
Spain (Alma Ata influence). Three years of
practical period.
• 1985. First Specific Programme for Family
Medicine instruction was published.
• 2005. A new Training Programme was developed.
Four years of practical period. A Compulsory
Rural Training Period is included for the first
time. National Comission.

3. Rural Medicine Training
Period Aims
•Promote and stimulate a positive approach to
Rural Practice.
•Apply “The European Definition for Family
Medicine” (Euract 1992).
•Boost and Complet professional competences
in Family Medicine.

4. Rural Medicine Values for
Trainees
• Getting an opportunity of working in a defined
community, knowing “The GP´s role” inside it.
• Emphasizing the holistyc concept in Family
Medicine. “The Bio-Psycho-Social Model”.
• Tacking into account and stressing the “Family
Medicine Approach on Health and Illness”.
• Underlining the importance of “Equity”: Equal
access – Equal utilization – Equal health
outcomes.

5. How we develop this Rural
Period in Spain
• National Comission for Family and Community
Medicine > Creates the Programme
• Main Training Centres > Produce and apply this
Rural Period.
• Rural Working Groups from Family Medicine
Associations > Develop and spread opinion,
guidelines and tools for helping all parts involved
in this process.
• Trainees > Attend and evaluate this learning term.

6. Current situation
• What kind of practical period do we have ?
- Compulsory and avaliable for all trainees.
- 1/2/3 months in length.
• Who can work as a trainer ?
- Rural doctors with certain experience (at least
more than a year in a rural area).
- Rural doctors with interest for teaching, learning
and research.
> They have to use an specific and adapted Rural
Training Programme for their centre with support
from the Main Training Centre <

7. Draft: What could the trainee
learn in our rural centre ?
• Our community. Local and regional approach.
• Our Rural Primary Care Team and the Local
Health Centre.
• Inner organization . Confindentiality.
• How do we work with or without administrative
assistant support ?.
• How do we work with or without nurse ?.
• How does the rural doctor act in his room ?
• ..........

8. Draft:What could the trainee
learn in our rural centre ?
• Working with the community. Common targets.
• Working with Social Services. Common targets.
• Relations with Specialized Care. Isolation.
Transportation.
• Treating emergencies in a rural environment.
• Out hours services in our area.
• Specific abilities for the Rural Family Physician
• …......

9. Draft: How can we teach and
learn from each other?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Self directed learning.
Learning in context.
Classes.
Small group learning.
Workshops.
……….

10. Conclussions
• Rural Medicine was included as a specific
term for Spanish Trainees in Family
Medicine in 2005.
• This instruction period acts as an
opportunity for the improvement in all parts
involved on it.
• The Spanish Model could work as a model
for Family Medicine Training in others
European countries.
jbanquev@meditex.es