Two new Emergency Medicine Residency Programs, based at North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville, FL and Ocala Regional Medical Center in Ocala, FL have received initial accreditation and are seeking immediate applicants. The programs are part of a UCF College of Medicine-Hospital Corporation of America consortium seeking to add 600 residency slots to Florida by 2020.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medicine Education (ACGME) approved the Gainesville program for a total of 24 residents who will train for three years. The program will be directed by Dr. Robyn Hoelle, graduate of the University of Florida College of Medicine, who completed her residency at MCP/Hahnemann in Philadelphia, PA.
The accrediting group also approved the Ocala program that will train a total of 21 residents over three years. Dr. Bobby Desai, a graduate of Albany Medical College, who did his residency training at the University of Florida-Jacksonville, will direct Ocala’s program.
The programs are designed to provide a comprehensive educational experience that include patient care, research, community service and leadership. Residents in both programs will work collaboratively with both private physician practices as well as, hospital clinical services.
“Educating tomorrow’s physicians is a key priority for HCA’s North Florida Division, and as the nation’s leading hospital network, we are proud to dedicate our resources and expertise to the task,” said Joel Jeffries, M.D., vice president of graduate medical education. “Together with UCF, we are committed to providing our residents with an exceptional training and mentorship experience at the North Florida Regional and Ocala Regional medical centers.”
With the two new Emergency Medicine residencies, UCF and HCA have now created 12 new programs in the last two years. The consortium also began its first fellowship – in endocrinology – at HCA’s Osceola Regional Medical Center this year. UCF and HCA are also partnering to build a hospital at the medical school’s Lake Nona campus.
“Residency programs are part of the promise we made to this community,” said Dr. Deborah German, UCF vice president for medical affairs and founding dean of the College of Medicine. “If we have more residencies, we’ll have more trained doctors in our community. We’ll become a net importer of medical talent.”
North Florida Regional Medical Center is a 432-bed, full-service medical and surgical acute care center and one of the nation’s top performing hospitals on key quality measures as recognized by the Joint Commission. It is an accredited Chest Pain Center and a Blue Distinction™ Center for Knee and Hip Replacement, Spine Surgery and Bariatric Surgery.
Ocala Health encompasses Ocala Regional Medical Center, currently a 222-bed facility in the heart of Ocala, and West Marion Community Hospital, a 94-bed hospital in West Marion County. The hospitals offer award-winning services including bariatric, robotic ad open heart surgeries and emergency neurological and rehabilitation services. Ocala Regional is also a Level II Trauma Center.
Both programs are seeking immediate applicants for the 2017-2018 year. Qualified applicants will be selected for residency interviews.
To learn more about the program at North Florida Regional Medical Center, please visit www.northfloridagme.com and contact Kim Watkins, Program Coordinator at kim.watkins@hcahealthcare.com or 352-333-5168.
For information on the Ocala Regional Medical Center residency, please contact Melissa Lamb, Program Coordinator at melissa.lamb@hcahealthcare.com, or 352.401.8323.