The different practice styles of young internists and the relationship between training and practice were studied as part of the National Study of Internal Medicine Manpower, Phase III. The practices of four groups of physicians were compared: general internists with traditional residencies, general internists who received their residency training in special primary care tracks, family physicians, and subspecialty internists. Additional study objectives were to determine the extent to which the primary care track residency training programs meet their objectives, and to develop models explaining the career decisions made by students and young residents. Four surveys were administered: the Locator/Screener Survey, the Physician Questionnaire, the Log-Diary, and the Patient Questionnaire. Practice characteristics for each physician group were assessed, including location, office organization, financial characteristics, accessibility, and productivity. Patient concerns included: demographic characteristics, medical conditions, patient functional abilities, and patient/physician relationships. The career orientations of residency training departments were evaluated, along with the types of primary care and ambulatory care training provided. The survey instruments are appended. (SW)