After graduating from medical school, clinical environments become the primary setting for medical training. In clinical environments, work and learning intersect with the dynamic healthcare system, where learning is just one of many goals.

To obtain the specialist title in Internal Medicine in Switzerland, there are two different tracks to choose from:  to become hospital internists, or general practitioners. For both, trainees need to collect experience in the hospital setting as well as in general practice.

To this day, there is a lack of literature comparing the clinical learning environments of hospitals and general practices. With this study, we aim to compare these two learning environments and identify their strengths and weaknesses regarding teaching, social support, and the resident's role autonomy.

Survey

We collect data using the “Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure” (PHEEM). The survey is conducted anonymously and distributed in hospitals and practices starting in spring 2025.

Goals

With this study we aim to:

• Compare the quality of residency training in internal medicine in hospitals and general practice
• Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the two settings and what trainers and trainees in both settings can learn from each other to support learning