Verde Valley Medical Center has expanded its teaching role through the addition of an internal medicine residency program. The program started with four residents but will grow to train 12 resident physicians at a time.

“These residents are our future physicians and incorporating them into VVMC’s medical and patient care team increases the quality of healthcare we provide to the community,” said Kevin Wilson, D.O, medical director of VVMC’s Residency Program.  “They provide another set of eyes and hands when caring for patients, as well as fresh perspectives, new approaches and a desire to learn.”  

VVMC began training medical students three years ago, but the start of the residency program brings the hospital’s teaching program to a much higher level.

To prepare for its accreditation as a teaching hospital, VVMC worked for more than two years to expand its relationship with Midwestern University, which has placed medical students at VVMC for training. Based in Illinois, Midwestern University has trained physicians since its founding in 1900. In 1995, Midwestern University established the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in Glendale.

“We are honored to collaborate with Verde Valley Medical Center to establish and maintain a resident physician program in Northern Arizona,” said Howard Shulman, D.O., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.O.I., Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Medical Education, Midwestern University. “After partnering with VVMC to provide rotations for our medical students, we were confident that VVMC provided the expert staff and quality medical care that we were looking for in a residency program.”

“Not only does being an academic and teaching hospital put VVMC ahead of the curve when it comes to incorporating advances in medicine and patient care into the hospital setting, it also can help attract physicians to our community,” said James Bleicher, M.D., VVMC President and CEO. “Midwestern’s approach to medical training is to place its residents in high caliber hospitals in more rural settings to help encourage physicians to settle in the communities where they’ve trained. Serving as a training site for their residents is one way we can impact the physician shortage in our community.”

Resident physicians are medical school graduates who have received their diplomas and are receiving training in a hospital setting. Successful completion of residency training is a requirement to practice medicine. Medical residency programs provide in-depth training within a specific branch of medicine with the residents working under the supervision of licensed physicians. VVMC’s residency program is focused on Internal Medicine.

Four resident physicians joined VVMC’s medical staff on July 1 (pictured above from left to right: Andrew Sacks, David Byun, Joshua Gibbons, Scott Richins). Each year for the next two years, an additional four residents will join the program, bringing the total number of residents being trained at VVMC at any one time to 12. Each resident receives training at VVMC for three years. 

Every 30 days, each resident will be assigned to work in a different unit of the hospital and with select physicians, giving the residents the opportunity to learn all the unique medical specialties offered at VVMC.  In addition to their time in the hospital setting, each resident will work one afternoon a week at the Cottonwood Veterans Administration clinic under the supervision of Dave Shillington, M.D.; and one afternoon a week at Cottonwood Internal Medicine under the supervision of Paul Hanson, M.D.  Working in outpatient clinics and private practice offices provides the residents additional experience and helps prepare them to work as primary care physicians if they chose.

“VVMC’s achievement in being recognized as an academic hospital is a true testament to the commitment of the Board of Directors, physicians and staff,” Dr. Wilson said. “We are dedicated to the training programs offered at VVMC, and are honored and excited to help guide these new physicians. Besides what we can teach them, we also are able to learn from them – it will keep us all on our toes.”

Committed to supporting healthcare education programs and offering training opportunities, VVMC currently has eight new graduate nurses, two nurse externs (senior year of nursing school) and more than 20 certified nursing assistants who are doing their clinical rotations and receiving hands-on training with skilled nurse preceptors. Additionally, students in physical, occupational and speech therapies; imaging, laboratory and marketing also are benefiting from the knowledge and skills of VVMC staff.

For more information on VVMC’s physician residency program, call 928 649-4900. For more information on training and educational opportunities at VVMC, call 928 639-6343. To learn more about the programs and services offered at VVMC, visit VerdeValleyMedicalCenter.com.