BOCA RATON — Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and five hospitals in Palm Beach County have signed an agreement to establish one of the state’s first allopathic Graduate Medical Education (GME) Consortiums.
Bethesda Memorial Hospital, Boca Raton Regional Hospital and Tenet’s Delray Medical Center, St. Mary’s Medical Center and West Boca Medical Center have joined forces to increase much needed medical residency positions in Palm Beach County to ensure that the region has an adequate and well-trained physician workforce.
Florida ranks 45th nationally in terms of allopathic residency positions per 100,000 state population. Because there is a shortage of Florida residency program opportunities, most physicians practicing in Florida received their residency training outside the state, and a significant number of Florida medical school graduates have no choice but to leave the state each year to complete their residency training.
Residencies are required training for medical school graduates to become board-certified physicians. FAU plans to create between 250 to 350 new residency positions for the University.
This agreement is also good news for South Florida and will play a critical role in addressing the looming shortage of physicians in this region.
According to the American Association of Medical Colleges, physician shortages will worsen without increases in residency training. They estimate that between now and 2015, the year after health care reforms are scheduled to take effect, the shortage of doctors across all specialties will quadruple
Caption:
From left are Roger Kirk, Executive Vice President and COO, Bethesda Memorial Hospital, Mitch Feldman, CEO, West Boca Medical Center, Marsha Powers, Tenet Florida Senior Vice President of Operations, Dick Schmidt, Schmidt Family Foundation, Jerry Fedele, President and CEO, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, FAU President Mary Jane Saunders, Michael L. Friedland, M.D., Vice President of Medical Programs and Dean, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Michael T.B. Dennis, M.D., Chair, Advisory Board, Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Mark Bryan, CEO, Delray Medical Center and Davide Carbone, CEO, St. Mary’s Medical Center during the GME Consortium agreement signing at FAU.