Valley Hospital Focuses on Training and Retention of Physicians in the Las Vegas Valley
The newest class of GME residents and fellows receive their white coats during the traditional White Coat Ceremony.
Since establishing its Graduate Medical Education (GME) program in 2006, Valley Hospital has seen 252 physicians complete their medical training at the hospital.
“Our residency programs focus both on the medical training and expertise of physicians and the residents’ introduction to the southern Nevada medical community,” said Claude Wise, CEO of Valley Hospital. “In a continually growing region like ours, we need to attract and retain as many primary care physicians and specialists as possible. I believe their acceptance rate into various practices and fellowships speaks to the quality of our program through physician leadership, faculty and program design.”
Throughout its history, the Valley Hospital GME program has worked diligently to offer medical experiences and acquire expertise that would help new physicians join local private practices, establish their own businesses, enter fellowships, join a hospitalist group or continue their training through military service. That work has continued to pay dividends with an increasing number of physicians choosing to work in southern Nevada.
In June 2018, 60 percent of the program graduates remained in the Las Vegas area. In June 2019, that number increased to 63 percent, including all five family medicine residents, helping fulfill the ongoing need for primary care practitioners. Three graduates are continuing their training with fellowships (advanced training) in gastroenterology and pulmonary/critical care at Valley Hospital.
Of the graduates who are leaving Nevada, many are pursuing out-of-state fellowships, including epilepsy and nephrology programs at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
Additionally, the third class of orthopedic surgery residents maintains its 100 percent fellowship acceptance into spine surgery programs, with graduates heading to Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, Calif., and Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Ore.
Welcoming a New Class
On June 27, 2019, Valley Hospital welcomed a new class of 24 physician residents and four fellows with a traditional White Coat Ceremony. The White Coat Ceremony is considered a rite of passage in the journey toward becoming a physician. The long white coat is the symbol of physician clinical service. It marks the transition from the study of preclinical health sciences to clinical service, and the long white coats of a physician are officially presented.
Currently, Valley Hospital offers residency programs in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Orthopedic Surgery and Pharmacy, along with fellowships in Gastroenterology and Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine.