Orientation for the new medical residents will be June 22-23, and they begin training July 1.
Mega Doctor News
By Jennifer L. Berghom
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS—MARCH 17, 2017— The UTRGV School of Medicine this year on Match Day 2017 has gained 56 new medical residents, who will begin their post-graduate training here in six specialties throughout the Valley.
The School of Medicine this year has added three new residency programs, one for Family Medicine at Knapp Medical Center, as well as one for Psychiatry and one for Preventive Medicine.
With the latest cohorts, the School of Medicine now has 140 medical residents in nine programs working at four hospitals and other institutions throughout the Valley.
“We are excited to welcome our newest UTRGV medical residents and bring more specialties to the Rio Grande Valley,” said Dr. Steven A. Lieberman, School of Medicine interim dean. “The School of Medicine is committed to training physicians in more specialties that will benefit the health and well-being of the community.”
The 56 residents in training were selected through a computer-based selection process generated by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), which matched each medical student with a hospital with a residency program. The day residents find out where they will complete their training is called Match Day, and normally occurs the third Friday of March – this year, March 17.
Specifically this Match Day, the UTRGV School of Medicine received:
· Six residents each for its Family Medicine residency programs with McAllen Medical Center and Doctors Hospital at Renaissance (DHR).
· 10 residents for its Internal Medicine residency at Valley Baptist Medical Center.
· 12 for its Internal Medicine residency program with DHR.
· And four each at its Obstetrics and Gynecology and General Surgery residency programs at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance.
This summer, the School of Medicine will welcome residents in three new programs:
· Six residents to the Family Medicine program at Knapp Medical Center.
· Six residents to the Psychiatry medical residency program.
· And two residents to the Preventive Medicine residency program.
Dr. Yolanda Gomez, associate dean of Graduate Medical Education, said that with the arrival of the Preventive Medicine and Psychiatry medical residency programs, the UTRGV School of Medicine is able to provide specialties that were either not previously available or had limited availability in the Valley.
“We’re trying to bring more diversity and training programs so that we can be more attractive to candidates to come and do training here in the Valley,” Gomez said. “We really need more psychiatry services in the Valley.”
Once the four-year Psychiatry residency is fully established, it will have 24 medical residents training in their chosen specialty, Gomez said.
“The Psychiatry residents will be providing care and service to many people across the Valley,” she said.
Altogether, the UTRGV School of Medicine’s residency programs received about 9,600 applicants from all over the world and interviewed about 600 candidates for the 56 residency spots available.
Orientation for the new medical residents will be June 22-23, and they begin training July 1.
