Hospital care for people living in Tempe and West Chandler is taking another step into the future with the expansion of a graduate medical education residence program at two East Valley hospitals. Now in its second year, the program adds 33 future physicians to the hospital network’s existing group of residents, bringing the total to 52 upon the completion of their training.
The program trains residents in the fields of emergency medicine, internal medicine, family medicine and general surgery. Obstetrics and gynecology will be added next year. Said Mark Slyter, president and CEO of Dignity Health Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert medical centers:
“Much like the East Valley, Dignity Health’s GME residency program is growing, “This is driven by a combination of a rapidly growing population in the city of Chandler and town of Gilbert, a need for more physicians to serve this growing population in the community, and an overall demand to help fill a shortage of physicians in the health care industry.”
Roger Bies, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Designated Institutional Official for Dignity Health East Valley GME Program, hailed the expansion of the program and cited its promise for further growth of hospital care.
“This is a new generation of physicians who have the unique opportunity to help build our residency program as they are the future leaders of our training program and future providers for our community,” he said.
In the inaugural 2023-2024 academic year, Dignity Health East Valley received 28 residents into the fields of general surgery, family medicine and internal medicine. During the first year, the fourth residency initiative—emergency medicine— received accreditation to begin its program from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. This is welcoming news for Arizona’s health care workforce. While programs like the East Valley GME work on expanding, there is a critical need for more health care professionals. The Arizona Board of Regents estimates that by 2030, the health care sector will have a shortage of 23,300 health care professionals.
The residents are now rotating at Dignity Health Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert Medical Centers. They also train in facilities across Arizona including at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Dignity Health Research Institute, Phoenix Children’s and several simulation labs. Some residents will get to experience life as a rural doctor at the HuHuKam Memorial Hospital on the Gila River Indian Community and at Fort Defiance Medical Center on the Navajo Nation.
