With last week’s hospital orientation behind them, this week marks the start of rotations for 10 new doctors who are beginning their Transition Year Internship, Family Medicine Residency, or Dermatology Residency at Sampson Regional Medical Center.
This is Sampson’s fourth class of interns and family medicine tesidents, while it is the sixth class of dermatology residents to join SRMC’s Graduate Medical Education program since the hospital received program approval by the American Osteopathic Association in 2014.
Through affiliation with the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine at Campbell University, SRMC has become a training ground for physicians from across the United States. Each year, residency programs and candidates go through a competitive process called the MATCH. This is a process whereby training programs rank applicants and applicants rank programs in order of preference. Candidate applications are reviewed and narrowed for interview invitation.
“Matching a residency program is a very involved process that can take almost a year from start to finish,” stated Dr. John-Mark Miller, Program Director for the Family Medicine Residency at Sampson.
Residency candidates begin by researching available residency programs and finalizing their specialties. Based on their chosen specialty, candidates submit applications to their preferred residency programs, such as SRMC’s Family Medicine and Dermatology programs.
“Candidates who ‘match’ to Sampson’s residency programs receive an invitation into our program. It is truly an exciting day for both the residents and for our program,” explained Miller.
While referred to as interns or residents, they are doctors who have completed clinical rotations and graduated from medical school. Residency programs are the next step in their training or specialization.
The establishment of SRMC’s graduate medical education program was a strategic effort that Dr. Shawn Howerton, Chief Executive & Medical Officer for SRMC, is very proud of.
“Over the years we’ve had the opportunity to work with some outstanding physicians. Becoming a training ground for physicians has proven beneficial in growing access to care in our rural community and has improved our ability to recruit talented physicians into the area,” stated Howerton.
Sampson Regional welcomes its newest class of residents and interns.
“Most of these residents will train in our community for the next three years. We hope the community will join us in helping make Sampson County their home,” added Howerton.
SampsonRMC welcomes four family medicine residents, two dermatology residents, and four traditional year interns.
