A UCF College of Medicine-Hospital Corporation of America consortium, working to add needed residency slots to Florida, has received approval for two more programs – one in family medicine, another in obstetrics-gynecology.
The OB-GYN residency at North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville, FL has been approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to begin training a total of 16 residents during the four-year program. This program will begin recruiting residents next fall for a 2018 start date and is directed by Karen Harris, MD, MPH. Dr. Harris graduated from University of Florida College of Medicine and completed her residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
A family medicine residency at Ocala Regional Medical Center in Ocala, FL, which operated under American Osteopathic Association accreditation since 2015, received ACGME approval for 18 residents for its three-year program. Dr. Brian Earley, who graduated from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and trained at Carle Foundation Hospital, directs this program which is already filled.
“Residency programs are part of the promise we made to this community,” said Dr. Deborah German, UCF vice president for medical affairs and founding dean of the College of Medicine. “If we have more residencies, we’ll have more trained doctors in our community. We’ll become a net importer of medical talent.”
North Florida Regional Medical Center is a 432-bed, full-service medical and surgical acute care center and one of the nation’s top performing hospitals on key quality measures as recognized by the Joint Commission. It is an accredited Chest Pain Center and a Blue Distinction™ Center for Knee and Hip Replacement, Spine Surgery and Bariatric Surgery.
Ocala Health encompasses Ocala Regional Medical Center, a 222-bed facility in the heart of Ocala, and West Marion Community Hospital, a 94-bed hospital in West Marion County. The hospitals offer award-winning services including bariatric, robotic ad open heart surgeries and emergency neurological and rehabilitation services. Ocala Regional is also a Level II Trauma Center.