Katherine Choi loved building the as a student. So when a leader of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs new partnership obstetrics and gynecology residency talked to Choi about building its new program, her reaction was swift and certain: βLetβs do this.β
On Friday, Choi got the opportunity, matching into an OB-GYN specialty at , a new graduate medical education program established by ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ and Hospital Corporation of Americaβs North Florida Division.
She is one of 13 ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Class of 2018 medical students who will do all or part of their residency training in ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½-HCA programs in Gainesville, Ocala and Central Florida. With this yearβs match, the HCA consortium added 162 new residents and fellows, bringing its total to 345 in July.
βWe are pleased to welcome these outstanding young physicians into our ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½-HCA consortium starting this summer,β said Dr. Diane Davey, associate dean for graduate medical education. βWe are excited to be building new residency programs to improve access to care and help alleviate Floridaβs physician shortage.β
Eight of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ graduates will to through the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½-HCA transitional-year program at Osceola Regional Medical Center. Certain specialties — such as ophthalmology, radiology and dermatology β require students to do a one-year transitional year of training that focuses on general medicine.
Medical student Nicole Spitzer said she is thrilled to be staying in Orlando for another year before moving to LSU for ophthalmology. After Fridayβs match ceremonies, she wore an LSU baseball cap as she stood with Dr. Abdo Asmar, program director for ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs transitional and internal medicine residencies at Osceola Regional.
βIβm really looking forward for my transitional year so I can really learn how to be The Good Doctor,β Spitzer said.
As a faculty member, Asmar said he was thrilled to be see his former medical students train as physicians. βItβs an amazing opportunity to teach them as medical students and then see them grow into real doctors caring for patients,β he said.
The ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½-HCA consortium now has 21 residencies and fellowships. The partnership hopes to add more than 600 residency positions to the state by 2020 to help address Floridaβs physician shortage.