Now in its second year, the graduate medical education residency programs at Dignity Health’s East Valley hospitals have welcomed 33 new residents who are set to begin their medical training soon.

The new residents are joining Dignity Health East Valley’s second-year residents, bringing a total of 52 future physicians to the community. The program trains residents in the specialties of emergency medicine, internal medicine, family medicine and general surgery. Obstetrics and gynecology will be added next year. 

In the inaugural 2023-2024 academic year, Dignity Health East Valley welcomed a total of 28 residents into the fields of general surgery, family medicine, and internal medicine. During the first year, the fourth residency program — emergency medicine — received ACGME accreditation to begin its program. 

While programs like the East Valley GME work on expanding, there is a deep need for more health care professionals. The Arizona Board of Regents estimates that by 2030, the sector will have a shortage of 23,300 health care professionals.

“Much like the East Valley, Dignity Health’s GME residency program is growing,” says Mark Slyter, President and CEO of Dignity Health East Valley. “This is driven by a combination of a rapidly growing population in the city of Chandler and town of Gilbert, a need for more physicians to serve this growing population in the community, and an overall demand to help fill a shortage of physicians in the health care industry.” 

The residents are now rotating at Dignity Health Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert Medical Centers. They also train in facilities across Arizona including at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Dignity Health Research Institute, Phoenix Children's and several simulation labs.

Some residents will get to experience life as a rural doctor at the HuHuKam Memorial Hospital ED on the Gila River Indian Community and at Fort Defiance Medical Center on the Navajo Nation.

For more information about the GME programs, click here.

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