Alternative Scheduling Models: Improving Continuity of Care, Medical Outcomes, and Graduate Medical Education in Resident Ambulatory Training

An association has been consistently made about continuity of care with improved quality of care and improved medical outcomes. However, resident ambulatory block scheduling prevents the optimization of continuity of care in ambulatory clinical education. The author performed a PubMed search for studies examining continuity of care and curriculum scheduling in US primary care residency clinics. These studies indicate the success of an X + Y scheduling model in resident ambulatory training. Additional benefits have also been noted, including improved clinical teaching and learning, increased sense of teamwork, increased resident satisfaction, improved recruitment and retention, improved patient satisfaction, and elimination of year-end patient care issues after graduation. Many allopathic institutions have begun to implement such curricular changes with demonstrated success. The author argues that osteopathic graduate medical education should embrace the X + Y scheduling model.