FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA21) – Parkview Health is launching a graduate medical education program to attract, train and keep physicians in northeast Indiana.
A residency, known as a years-long training program, offers clinical training for doctors who have graduated from medical school and are seeking more specialized training.
The new residency program will be based at Parkview Hospital Randallia. Depending on their specialty, medical residents spend three to seven years receiving hands-on training and instruction from attending physicians who have clinical expertise in their field.
Parkview’s graduate medical education program will include internal medicine, a three-year program that will be open to 15 residents per year, and general surgery, a five-year program that will be open to four residents per year.
Parkview said they will continue their partnership with the Fort Wayne Medical Education Program, which offers residency in family medicine.
Parkview Health will renovate portions of Parkview Randallia to create offices, classrooms, procedure rooms and clinical space for the program.
Residents will have the opportunity to visit various Parkview locations throughout their rotations.
“Residency is a critical component of a physician’s career path,” said Susan Steffy, MD, chief medical officer, Parkview Hospital Randallia, who is serving as the program’s clinical leader.
“We know the location of a graduate medical education program will often determine where physicians choose to practice medicine. By providing hands-on training and experience here in northeast Indiana, there’s a high likelihood that we’ll see more physicians relocate permanently and become members of our communities.”
In the United States, medical residency programs are largely funded by Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.
To help with startup costs, Parkview Health received $1 million in grants from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education Graduate Medical Education Fund.
Pending program finalization, medical students can begin applying for Parkview’s graduate medical education program beginning in September 2021.
Applicants will be paired in March 2022, and program orientation is set for July 2022.
