Developing a Family Medicine residency program in Colombia: systematization of an experience

Abstract

Introduction: Family Medicine is an essential discipline for comprehensive healthcare, focusing on a clinical approach, prevention, and community work, and gaining increasing relevance as a key strategy to strengthen Primary Health Care (PHC). In Colombia, it was consolidated as a speciality in 1984, and the programme at a Colombian university began in 2006.

Aim: To systematise the experiences linked to the creation, training and consolidation of the specialisation programme in Family Medicine at this university between 2006 and 2024.

Methodology: A qualitative systematisation of experiences was developed through interviews with a focus group, 22 semi-structured interviews, and a documentary review. Data were analysed using grounded theory, triangulated by category, and structured into three phases: creation, evolution, and consolidation.

Results: The programme emerged as a response to the needs of the Colombian health system and the principles of PHC. During the evolution phase, the programme was strengthened through strategic agreements, curricular redesign, new clinical rotations and the progressive use of educational technologies. However, it faces challenges such as limited institutional recognition. In the consolidation phase, the programme has achieved national and international recognition, forming a network of graduates with social impact and high-quality standards, although challenges related to labour market insertion and expansion to rural areas persist.

Conclusion: The programme has maintained a trajectory consistent with the principles of PHC, responding to training challenges and positioning itself as a relevant and sustainable model in specialised medical education in Colombia.