Memorial Health System has attained initial accreditation through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to establish its Graduate Medical Education (GME) Program in Internal Medicine. This program will be available in addition to the Memorial GME Family Medicine Program, which was established last year.
GME begins after students graduate from medical school with a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO). Residents then match into existing residency programs around the United States. Successfully completing the residency training leads to the physician sitting for their specialty’s board exam to become board-certified and an independently practicing physician with a full medical license.
The mission of the Memorial Health System Internal Medicine program is to build healthier communities by improving care for the region’s most vulnerable populations. The residency will accomplish this goal through training and graduating well-balanced, compassionate physicians who are willing and dedicated to practicing the highest level of medicine.
“A good physician will treat the disease, but the better physician will treat the whole patient who has the disease,” said Internal Medicine Residency Program Director Dr. Wayne Latack. He continued, “The Memorial Health System internal medicine residency will train our future community physicians to look at the whole patient.”
There is a significant economic impact to sponsoring a residency program, including job creation, stronger hospitals and research. Memorial will have a direct impact on residency education and training especially, as this program answers a growing call to increase residency programs in states with poor health outcomes, such as Mississippi, which currently has 40 accredited programs and 759 residents. According to the 2019 State Physician Workforce Data Report, there is a physician shortage in Mississippi. The state ranks 49th for having 65.9 active primary care physicians per 100,000 people.
Memorial Health System has been the premier medical center for the Mississippi Gulf Coast for more than 75 years, with over 300 physicians on its medical staff. Specialty providers offer comprehensive, progressive services and care to a thriving community. Memorial was named the best regional hospital in Coastal Region for 2022-23 in the annual ranking of hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.
Applications for the program will be available through ERAS, and Memorial Hospital will begin interviewing candidates in the coming weeks. Residents will begin rotations on July 1, 2023. For more information, visit www.gme.wearememorial.com