The health system will increase residency
positions to more than 650 by 2029.
CLEARWATER, Fla., May 20, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- As part of its plan to bring more doctors to West
Central Florida, the region's top health care system today
announced that it will soon launch BayCare Health System's first
surgery residency program. The Accreditation Council for Graduate
Medical Education (ACGME) granted initial accreditation for the new
20-resident program that will welcome its first class of residents
on July 1, 2024.
BayCare's investment in physician education
comes amid concerns about physician shortages in the United States.
"Overall, BayCare will increase residency positions to more than
650 by 2029," said Dr. Sowmya
Viswanathan, BayCare's chief physician executive. "As we
celebrate this latest accreditation by the ACGME for our BayCare
Health System Surgery program, this is just another example of how
our vision is becoming a reality. We look forward to educating and
mentoring the next generation of resident physicians."
Five BayCare hospitals will participate in the surgery
residency: St. Joseph's Hospital, St. Joseph's Women's Hospital and
St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Tampa. St. Joseph's Hospital-North in
Lutz and St. Joseph's
Hospital-South in Riverview.
"I am proud to lead and support the BayCare Health System
Surgery Program throughout five of our hospitals," said Dr.
Subhasis Misra, program director of
the General Surgery Residency. "This is a challenging and rigorous
process, and we are grateful for the tireless dedication and
passion of our clinical teams. Their persistence has helped us meet
and exceed expectations in achieving this goal."
In addition to the Surgery Program, BayCare offers graduate
medical education programs for family medicine, pediatrics,
psychiatry, internal medicine, primary care sports medicine and a
transitional year residency program. BayCare's Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry Fellowship received initial accreditation from ACGME
last month. The not-for-profit health care system also is pursuing
additional residency programs in addiction medicine, emergency
medicine and additional internal medicine and
transitional year programs.
"We are excited to welcome resident physicians who can bring the
most up-to-date scientific innovations with them, having spent
years in the classroom," said BayCare President and CEO
Stephanie Conners. "They also are
required, as part of their training, to engage in scholarly
activity, which will naturally contribute to BayCare's already
robust research program."
BayCare's investment in physician education comes amid continued
concerns about physician shortages in the United States. By qualifying to expand its
graduate medical education offerings, BayCare will attract many
more young physicians to the region each year, many of whom will
likely choose to stay to practice medicine in the area after
finishing their formal "residency" training with BayCare. The
expansion in residency training comes with the support of the state
of Florida, whose Legislature has worked to grow the physician
pipeline through current and new funding, including the Live
Healthy Act.
BayCare is West Central Florida's largest health care provider,
serving roughly one out of every three people in the region with 16
hospitals and extensive outpatient facilities and doctor's offices
in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Polk counties.
BayCare has announced plans to build a 17th hospital
in Manatee County, where it already has doctor's offices, and
it delivers home care services across 13 counties. Its BayCare
Medical Group is the largest multi-specialty practice in the region
with 1,120 physicians and advanced practice providers.
About BayCare
BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that
connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 16
hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the
Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. The system is West Central
Florida's largest provider of behavioral health and pediatric
services and its provider group, BayCare Medical Group, is one of
the largest in the region. BayCare's diverse network of ambulatory
services includes laboratories, imaging, surgical centers, BayCare
Urgent Care locations, wellness centers and one of Florida's largest home care agencies, BayCare
HomeCare. BayCare's mission is to improve the health of all it
serves through community-owned, health care services that set the
standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information
visit BayCare.org.
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SOURCE BayCare Health System