Objective To get known the existing problems in rural primary physicians training in Gansu province, so as to explore an appropriate training mode for Gansu province. Methods This study conducted a comprehensive analysis by combining literature analysis, on-site survey and interview. Such databases as CNKI, VIP and CBM were searched to include literature published before November 2011, and the references of the included literature were also retrieved. The qualitative analysis was performed after assessing the methodological quality of the included literature according to self-designed criteria. Additionally, the rural primary hospitals in Gansu province were classified according to their geographical position and economic development level, total 10 township hospitals were randomly selected by cluster sampling, and the following stuffs participated various trainings in past 3 years were on-site-investigated: clinical doctors, nurses, medical technicians, and medical administrators, in aspects of training time, place, contents, modes, and effects. Results The existing problems in primary physicians training modes in Gansu were as follows: uneven training levels, lack of targeted contents, neglect of skill training and process management, and absence of quality assessment of training processes and effects. Conclusion The training modes require that: a) specific plans and schemes; b) unified organization to integrate educational resources effectively; c) reasonable arrangement of implementation process, and d) innovation of training methods and contents to fully play the role of general hospitals and universities; and well control and feedback to promote the integration and perfection of training modes.