OCALA, FL (352today.com) –HCA Florida Ocala Hospital recently welcomed 60 new doctors who are beginning residencies and fellowships in one of seven in-demand specialties – anesthesiology, emergency medicine, family medicine, surgery, internal medicine, orthopedic surgery, and cardiology. An additional 11 new doctors have begun a transitional year program, which provides recent medical school graduates with a year of comprehensive clinical skills training before they go on to more specialized training.
“HCA Florida Ocala Hospital is excited to welcome these new physicians to our hospital as residents and fellows in the University of Central Florida – HCA Florida Healthcare Graduate Medical Education Consortium,” said Alan Keesee, HCA Florida Ocala Hospital chief executive officer. “Since 2015, HCA Florida Ocala Hospital has helped train hundreds of doctors to serve and care for people in our community and elsewhere through Graduate Medical Education, and we are proud to continue that tradition with the doctors in this new class who have chosen to further their education through our program and its skilled, experienced, and knowledgeable faculty.”
Most of the new doctors are among more than 720 physicians being trained across the state through the University of Central Florida – HCA Florida Healthcare Graduate Medical Education Consortium. Including its new 2025 residents, fellows and transitional year interns, the hospital now has 168 physicians in its GME programs.
HCA Florida Ocala Hospital also recently began participation in Daytona Beach-based SMA Healthcare’s accredited psychiatric residency program, which is separate from the GME program and will train 10 new psychiatrists to help alleviate a shortage of mental health professionals across Central Florida.
“Our goal for our GME programs is, ultimately, increasing access to expert care for our patients throughout Florida,” said Cheryll Albold, Ph.D., vice president of graduate medical education for HCA Healthcare’s North Florida Division. “HCA Florida Healthcare’s strategic partnership with UCF’s College of Medicine is providing a pipeline that will directly benefit patients by continually training the best and brightest new doctors, many of whom will ultimately build their own practices right here in the Sunshine State.”
The UCF-HCA Florida Healthcare GME Consortium is the fastest-growing graduate medical education program in the state, with 44 accredited programs throughout Florida.
“As the need for physicians grows in Florida, with an estimated physician shortage of 18,000 projected over the next decade, we are helping to meet those needs,” said Dr. Stephen Cico, UCF’s associate dean of graduate medical education and the UCF-HCA Florida Healthcare GME Consortium’s designated institutional officer. “We are focused on medical specialties that are or are going to be in the highest demand.”
With more than 300 residency and fellowship programs across the U.S., HCA Healthcare leads the nation in graduate medical education. To learn more about HCA Florida Healthcare and find your nearest healthcare provider, visit hcafloridahealthcare.com.
