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Recognizing and Welcoming Our Residents and Fellows in Graduate Medical Education

June 18, 2024 by jta6n@virginia.edu

2023 Interns.

School of Medicine 2023 residents and fellows.

In just a few short weeks, UVA Health University Medical Center will buzz with additional energy as 286 new medical, dentistry and pharmacy, psychology, and chaplaincy residents and fellows join various clinical departments. These aspiring physician and clinical leaders will train under the supervision of our expert attending physicians and clinicians to gain the knowledge and skills needed to prepare them for independent practice.

This is an important time to highlight the role these trainees play in helping us meet the healthcare needs of today – and the future. Our residents and fellows are integral to the interdisciplinary team delivering healthcare in almost all of our clinical settings. They are first-line responders in the hospital. They are learners and teachers. They are patient advocates. They are strategic champions helping us drive advancement in patient experience, quality outcomes, medical discoveries and community impact.

As the nation faces a growing shortage of physicians and healthcare workers, residency and fellowship programs and trainees are critical to our efforts to meet the healthcare needs of our communities. New projections from the Association of American Medical Colleges state that the nation will face a physician shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036. This is just one statistic demonstrating the severity of the workforce shortages in the healthcare industry.

To help address this trend, the training programs at the UVA School of Medicine, along with the practical clinical environments provided by the UVA Health University Medical Center, create a strong foundation for our trainees equipping them with the necessary expertise to tackle complex challenges in medicine. Our programs also prepare residents and fellows in new ways to improve greater community well-being. This includes addressing social determinants of health, responding to healthcare crises, participating in groundbreaking research projects and managing chronic diseases.

As we welcome the new residents and fellows, we’d also like to take a moment to thank our graduating trainees for their contributions to the School of Medicine and for trusting us with their continued training and education. We look forward to all they will accomplish for healthcare.

Working together, we are advancing our vision of becoming one of the nation’s leading public academic health systems and a best place to work — while transforming patient care, research, education, and engagement with the diverse communities we serve.

Filed Under: Education