The core problem of Chinese resident doctor training is that medical educators present content in an attractive teaching mode to make students more motivated to learn and improve their clinical thinking ability, humanistic care, and practical ability. The traditional classroom mode of teaching cannot meet the needs of modern medical education. The purpose of this study is to explore the benefits and challenges of the flipped classroom (FC) combined with case- and team-based learning (FC-CTBL) for residency training. In this study, 60 junior surgical residents of Xiangya Medical College were enrolled. "Diabetic foot" was selected as the content of this study. Residents were divided into an FC-CTBL group and an FC group. FC-CTBL and FC were compared on the basis of residents' feedback questionnaires, residents' learning burden, test scores from a pre-quiz, and objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE). Residents were more satisfied with the FC-CTBL model compared with FC. In the FC-CTBL group, more participants said that the course improved their teamwork skills, analytical skills and their confidence in tackling unfamiliar problems. Residents in the FCCTBL group also spent significantly less time preparing for class and performed better in the OSCE than those in the FC group. FCCTBL stimulates residents' learning motivation, decreases their workload, improves their performance in the OSCE and may help to enhance clinical thinking and teamwork skills. The FC-CTBL approach is a good option for residency training.