Contributed by HCA Florida Healthcare
Nearly 100 new doctors began residencies or fellowships this summer at HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital and HCA Florida Osceola Hospital. The residents are among more than 720 physicians being trained across the state in needed specialties like primary care, surgery, emergency medicine and cardiology through the University of Central Florida – HCA Florida Healthcare Graduate Medical Education (GME) Consortium.
“Our goal for our GME programs is, ultimately, increasing access to expert care for our patients throughout Florida,” said Cheryll Albold, Ph.D., vice president of graduate medical education for HCA Healthcare’s North Florida Division. “HCA Florida Healthcare’s strategic partnership with UCF’s College of Medicine is providing a pipeline that will directly benefit patients by continually training the best and brightest new doctors, many of whom will ultimately build their own practices right here in the Sunshine State.”
Doctors must first complete residencies after graduating from medical school before they can practice medicine. There are 35 residents undergoing training at HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital, including about 20 who began programs in July specializing in internal medicine, a new physical medicine and rehabilitation program, and a new transitional year program, which provides recent medical school graduates with a year of comprehensive clinical skills training before they go on to more specialized training.
“I chose HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital for my transitional year because I immediately connected to their team during the interview process,” said Flor Alcocer, M.D., an intern in the transitional year program at HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital. “It was clear to me that their leadership team is committed to building a solid program, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it.”
The UCF-HCA Florida Healthcare GME Consortium is the fastest-growing graduate medical education program in the state, with 44 accredited programs across Florida.
“As the need for physicians grows in Florida, with an estimated physician shortage of 18,000 projected over the next decade, we are helping to meet those needs,” said Dr. Stephen Cico, UCF’s associate dean for graduate medical education and the UCF-HCA Florida Healthcare GME Consortium’s designated institutional officer. “We are focused on medical specialties that are or are going to be in the highest demand.”
With 300+ residency and fellowship programs across the U.S., HCA Healthcare leads the nation in graduate medical education. To learn more about the UCF-HCA Florida Healthcare GME program, go to https://med.ucf.edu/academics/graduate-medical-program/gme-programs/. To learn more about HCA Florida Healthcare and find your nearest healthcare provider, visit hcafloridahealthcare.com
