The Federated Council for Internal Medicine (FCIM) desires that the specialty continue to improve the quality of its trainees, the residency training experience, the competence of practitioners, and patient care. To accomplish these goals, the internal medicine community must:
1. Provide a clearer definition of internal medicine. The distinction of internists from other primary care specialists can be described in part by their training, depth of knowledge, capacity to provide tertiary care, humanistic qualities, and potential for lifelong scholarship.
2. Continue to attract the most talented medical students into internal medicine residency programs.
3. Improve the standards of residency programs