In response, many of the 26 specialty associations are beefing up educational and professional development support services. Residents are in for three to seven years. If they have three to four different directors, the continuity of the educational experience suffers. Dr. Leach said program directors are caught between providing labor to cover shifts at medical centers and giving residents the best educational environment. Declining federal funding for graduate medical education and lack of institutional support for program directors also is contributing to director dissatisfaction and turnover, he said.
Funding is threatened and in some cases actually substantially reduced.
We have a big budget problem, a shortfall, and everyone is getting scared about losing residents and the effects on programs. If you as a program director are not a chair of a department, you might not be able to control issues or problems. We see that here. We try to provide as much support as we can to directors, but the fact is the rewards are not there for directors. The rewards are for research, grants and clinical care.