Knowledge of CanMEDS-Family Medicine roles: survey of Canadian family medicine residents.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the self-perceived awareness of the new CanMEDS-Family Medicine (CanMEDS-FM) roles by family medicine residents.

DESIGN: A 22-question online survey.

SETTING: Canadian family medicine residency programs.

PARTICIPANTS: All residents enrolled in a Canadian family medicine residency as of September 2010 received the survey between May and June 2011. A total of 568 residents participated.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Survey respondents indicated their awareness of, their exposure to, and the perceived importance of the CanMEDS-FM roles.

RESULTS: The survey response rate was 25.1%. In total, 88.9% (463 of 521) of family medicine residents were aware of the CanMEDS-FM roles; there was no statistically significant difference in awareness between first- and second-year residents. Family medicine expert and communicator were most frequently chosen as the most important CanMEDS-FM roles, while manager and scholar were selected the least often. Overall, 76.4% of family medicine residents thought that their core family medicine teaching was guided by CanMEDS-FM, while 41.8% thought the same about off-service rotations.

CONCLUSION: It appears that most family medicine residents are aware of the CanMEDS-FM roles. While core family medicine training and evaluation seem to be grounded in CanMEDS-FM, residency program directors should endeavour to ensure that the same principles apply during off-service rotations.