What is it about?
This study examined how the Emirates Health Services Family Medicine Residency Program in the United Arab Emirates has evolved over its first 15 years. Using surveys of graduates and senior residents together with focus group discussions, we explored participants' experiences of the program, their satisfaction with training, and their perceptions of their clinical competence and preparedness for independent practice. Participants generally reported high satisfaction with teaching, supervision, and academic activities. They also felt well prepared for independent family medicine practice. The study identified important developments in curriculum design, competency-based assessment, learner-centred education, research opportunities, and leadership development, while also highlighting continuing challenges such as workload, administrative demands, and differences in supervision during hospital rotations.
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Why is it important?
Family medicine residency programs play an important role in preparing physicians to provide comprehensive, patient-centred primary care. Understanding how training programs develop over time can help educators improve residency education and support workforce development. This study provides one of the first comprehensive evaluations of a family medicine residency program in the UAE over a 15-year period. The findings highlight successful educational strategies as well as areas for improvement that may inform residency programs, educators, healthcare leaders, and policymakers in the UAE and other countries developing family medicine training.
Perspectives
Over the past 15 years, I have witnessed the remarkable growth of family medicine training in the UAE. This study was an opportunity to document that journey, learn from the experiences of residents, graduates, and faculty, and identify practical ways to further improve residency education. I hope these findings contribute not only to strengthening family medicine in the UAE but also provide useful insights for residency programs in other countries working to enhance primary healthcare through high-quality postgraduate training.
Dr. Zainab Alameeri
Emirates Health Services
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Fifteen Years of Family Medicine Residency Training in the United Arab Emirates: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Program Evolution, Educational Outcomes, and Lessons Learned, Cureus, June 2026, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.111453.
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