Workforce

Family physicians are an essential pillar of the health care system, and medical students and residents are the future of family medicine. CAFP advocates for increased numbers and distribution of family physicians to meet the needs of all Californians, and supports medical students and residents as they train to excel in practice.

PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN WORKFORCE IN CALIFORNIA

An expanded primary care physician workforce is necessary to meet our State’s population health needs and to address the priorities of health equity, better patient outcomes and experience, and reductions in health care spending. There are four pillars to expanding the primary care physician workforce in California – pipeline, graduate medical education, practice transformation, and payment reform.

Pipeline

Expanding and Scaling Pipeline Programs

Graduate Medical Education

Investing in Family Medicine Residency Programs

Practice Transformation

Changing the Way Care is Delivered

Payment Reform

Investing in Primary Care

Read the CAFP Position Paper on Primary Care

CAFP Residency Network

The California AFP Residency Network (CRN) is a network of family medicine residency programs in California that gather to discuss issues related to advocacy, curriculum design, faculty development, and scholarly activity. CAFP works with these family medicine residency programs to understand and clarify legislative and regulatory requirements and advocate on their behalf.

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Grants for Primary Care Residency Programs

CAFP works closely with family medicine residency programs to ensure they receive the largest grants possible from the Song-Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Program and the CalMedForce program.

Song-Brown provides grants to primary care residency programs that increase access to primary care for underserved areas and populations and to ensure and advance recruitment of underrepresented minority physicians. CAFP has been a champion of the Song-Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Program since its inception. Each year, CAFP works with family medicine residency programs to clarify grant requirements and advocate on their behalf before the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission.
CalMedForce provides grants to primary care and emergency medicine residency programs to increase access to primary care for underserved areas and populations. CAFP serves as a member of the Advisory Council to Physicians for a Healthy California, who administers the CalMedForce program, to ensure it successfully meets its statutory obligations.