Recruiting faculty to perform deliveries in family medicine residencies: Results of a residency program survey

Background and Objectives: One factor cited for the decline of family physicians delivering babies is a lack of faculty role models during residency training. This study's purpose was to determine how many residency programs experience difficulty recruiting faculty who perform deliveries and whether financial or not financial compensation are associated with recruiting difficulties. Methods: Using an electronic questionnaire, we surveyed program directors of nonmilitary family medicine residencies in the United States, with a response rate of 60.7%. Results: Among residency programs who tried to recruit faculty with delivery skills, 58% stated that they have difficulties. Two program characteristics were associated with recruitment difficulties: the number of delivery providers among faculty and whether the residency program directors included delivery in their own practices. There were no statistically significant associations between recruiting difficulties and any type of financial reimbursement methods, but nonfinancial incentives were offered more often by programs that had no difficulty recruiting. Conclusions: More than half of all family medicine residency programs have difficulty recruiting faculty members to provide delivery training. Changing the type of financial compensation for faculty providing maternity care is not likely to assist in recruiting. However, we did find that programs without recruiting difficulties were more likely to offer nonfinancial incentives to faculty members who perform deliveries.