MRHC Approved for Emergency Medicine Residency Program
April 24, 2020 9:55 am
A residency program in Emergency Medicine at Magnolia Regional Health Center (MRHC) was recently granted initial accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The newly added program will begin on July 1, 2020, with six residents per year and expand to a total of 18 residents when the three-year residency is at full training capacity.
“We plan to train emergency medicine residents to practice in a community hospital setting, which is where most physicians practice upon completion of their training,” said Dr. Rick Carlton, emergency department chair and program director of emergency medicine at MRHC. “The addition of the emergency medicine residency program here at Magnolia Regional Health Center will improve patient care and processes throughout the institution.”
Carlton added, “It is anticipated that the residents will also have involvement in health related issues in the Corinth area.”
According to the American College of Emergency Medicine, emergency medicine is the medical specialty dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of unforeseen illness or injury. The practice of emergency medicine includes the initial evaluation, diagnosis, treatment and coordination of care among multiple providers. Often times, these physicians are working in a fast-paced and high-pressure environment, requiring in depth medical knowledge and exceptional clinical skills.
The Emergency Medicine Residency Program at MRHC will have an emphasis on problems encountered in community hospitals and rural areas. Corinth is an ideal setting for this type of program, as the vast majority of emergency medicine residencies are in urban or suburban communities. Recently, greater attention has been focused on health care in smaller and more rural communities due to fewer resources and physicians in these areas. Trends show that physicians tend to practice in the area where their residency is completed. The intent at MRHC is to train physicians who will be better prepared and more inclined to practice in a rural area, specifically Corinth, Alcorn County and the surrounding region.
Dr. Carlton, with over 40 years of experience in emergency medicine and 35 years guiding other Emergency Medicine residency programs, will serve as program director. He will work alongside Dr. Japheth Baker, emergency medicine physician with 13 years in the field of emergency medicine, who will serve as associate program director. Gena Lindsey, RN, C-TAGME, serves as the Designated Institutional Official (DIO), overseeing all MRHC graduate medical education programs.
Gena Lindsey, DIO, stated, “The mission of the Emergency Medicine residency is to provide compassionate, efficient, and high quality health care to all we serve, as we train emergency medicine residents in an inter-professional, supportive and collegial atmosphere.”
Lindsey added, “The Emergency Medicine Residency Program at MRHC will focus on integrating the sciences applicable to emergency medicine with clinical experiences, as well as providing the emergency medicine resident with progressive responsibilities in problem solving, teaching, professionalism, leadership/management and fostering lifelong learning in medical education. Graduates of the program will meet certification requirements through the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM).”
“The Emergency Medicine residency program is one that will help shape the future of emergency medicine in our community and region for years to come,” said Jim Hobson, chief executive officer at MRHC. “We’re excited about the opportunity to continue to train quality physicians and know that the program is a tremendous step in the right direction of providing high quality care for the people we serve.”
The addition of the Emergency Medicine residency brings MRHC’s total number of trainees to 68 for the academic year of 2020-2021. Besides the newly accredited Emergency Medicine residency, MRHC also trains physicians through its Internal Medicine residency, Cardiology fellowship and medical student training program.
This post was written by Magnolia Regional Health Center
