Preparing the doctor of the future: Medical school and residency program evolution

As the health care market changes, so are the capabilities physicians need to best practice medicine and serve their patients. Medical education is in an era of transformation, and medical schools are beginning to innovate to prepare new physicians for the emerging new model of care.

Findings from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions' surveys of physicians, health care consumers, and health system CEOs show that physicians' expectations are changing. The analysis found that:

• Hospital CEOs report needing more innovative leaders and clinicians, as well as employees with technology and data analytics skills.
• Increasingly, consumers expect to partner with doctors instead of relying passively on them to make treatment decisions.
• Physicians report anticipating that approximately 50 percent of their total compensation will be paid through value-based payment models in the next 10 years and that they expect to need new business, health information technology, and communication skills to practice effective value-based care.

Together, these findings suggest that an evolving market environment is demanding new competencies: business acumen, data analytic skills, and broadened interpersonal relationship skills, including enhanced communication and leadership skills.

Medical schools are anticipating these new demands and beginning to change the content of medical education curricula and how they teach medical students. Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine provides New York state emergency medical technician training to first-year medical students; Oregon Health and Sciences University has added a fourth year to its primary care residency program; and the American Medical Association has launched an initiative to help medical schools transform education and share their experiences with other schools. Many of these initiatives are in their early days, but they hold promise for meeting the needs of the new value-based system.

By teaching medical students more about the health care system, further integrating technology into the practice of medicine, and helping physicians learn the leadership and communication skills required to effectively connect with patients and team members, medical schools can improve quality of care while also improving the experience of receiving care.

Read more in Preparing the Doctor of the Future.