Learning to Become a Family Physician - The First Six Months INCOMING CHALLENGES EXPERIENCE DEVELOPMENT AT 6 MONTHS The experience of being and feeling responsible for the outcome of their patient’s care, using their knowledge in practice, establishing a practice and adjusting to new practice management responsibilities increases confidence and comfort in the role of doctor Responsibility Learning how to be the doctor responsible for the patient’s care As a sense of confidence and comfort in the responsibilities associated with being a doctor develops, the process of learning what it means to be a family physician begins, leading to identification with the role of family medicine resident The experience of using their knowledge in practice helps residents begin to recognize what in their knowledge bank is relevant to ask given the context. Returning patients allow residents to see the outcome of Rx and management plans and to begin recognizing what is urgent and what can wait IDENTITY FORMATION Knowledge Learning how to use their medical knowledge in the context of a family medicine setting Increasingly confident that they can medically manage the patient’s care means they are able to broaden focus of inquiry to include patient’s life context and illness experience Recognize that role is not limited to that of medical expert, but competent care as the family physician means being more of a generalist who plays multiple roles in the lives of their patients The experience of seeing different patient types, personalities and problems over time and hearing their feedback shifts residents concept of what patients want and need. Approach to the relationship becomes more flexible and patient-centered as residents learn to share power within the context of the clinical encounter Doctor-Patient Relationship Learning how to establish relationships with patients as the doctor FIGURE 3