Florida International University issued the following announcement on Sept. 30.
The Florida International University (FIU) Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine (HWCOM) will launch a primary care internal medicine training program at the Miami VA Healthcare System.
This will be the only medical residency program in Florida to benefit veterans by utilizing a Veterans Affairs healthcare facility as its primary training site. Residents also will train at Jackson Memorial Hospital and other sites under development. The program, set to start on July 1, 2022, recently received approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for FIU to serve those who have served us,” said FIU Provost and Executive Vice President Kenneth G. Furton. “Graduates of this program will be uniquely prepared to manage the complex medical problems that veterans confront after returning to civilian life, including post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction and chronic pain.”
In addition to newly minted doctors who graduate from HWCOM, the program also is expected to draw skilled physicians from across the country. The new FIU/Miami VA residency program has been approved to participate in the National Resident Matching Program, which culminates on Match Day (March 18, 2022) when graduating medical students are “matched” with residency programs nationwide. Residencies offer medical school graduates in-depth training within a specific specialty at a hospital or clinic.
This residency training program also is expected to benefit the South Florida community by attracting more doctors to the area amidst a growing national physician shortage, especially in primary care.
“Studies show the majority of young doctors decide to practice close to where they perform their residency training,” said Dr. Juan Cendan, interim dean at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine. “We expect that many of the doctors we train will remain in South Florida.”
The three-year graduate medical education program has already started recruiting its first class of six residents.
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