- College of Medicine Faculty News
The Obstetrics and Gynecology Program of Greater Orlando, based at Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee, Florida, has received initial ACGME accreditation. The program has been in existence for three years under the American Osteopathic Association. Osteopathic programs must now seek ACGME approval under a single accreditation process. Under the direction of founding program director, Dr. Mark Palazzolo, the program is now a part of the UCF College of Medicine and Hospital Corporation of America Graduate Medical Education Consortium.
The Obstetrics and Gynecology Program is seeking immediate applicants for the 2017-2018 year. The program is approved for a full complement of 12 residents and will be recruiting for three residents to join the PGY1 class. All qualified students will receive residency interviews. This adds more opportunities for UCF medical school graduates and qualified individuals from across the globe to complete residency training in Orlando.
“Residency programs are part of the promise that was made to this community and an important element in a medical school that will anchor a medical city,” said Dr. Deborah German, UCF vice president for medical affairs and founding dean of the College of Medicine. “If we have more residencies, we’ll have more trained doctors in our community because many doctors practice where they complete their residency programs.”
OB-GYN residents will benefit from Osceola Regional’s obstetrics hospitalist program and Level II NICU, use of interactive learning and simulations, and a partnership with the Orlando VA Medical Center. “We are excited to continue to grow and strengthen the OB-GYN program to be able to provide progressive education to young physicians and quality women’s healthcare services to our community,” said Dr. Michelle Ozcan, co-program director of the obstetrics and gynecology program.
“Educating tomorrow’s physicians is a key priority for HCA’s North Florida Division, and as the nation’s leading hospital network, we are proud to dedicate our resources and expertise to the task,” said Joel Jeffries, M.D., vice president of graduate medical education. “Together with UCF, we are committed to providing our residents with an exceptional training and mentorship experience at Osceola Regional Medical Center.”
Increasing residency programs has been a big priority for hospitals and medical schools throughout Florida, where residency programs have not kept pace with population and medical school growth:
- Florida currently ranks 42 out of 50 states in the number of residency positions per 100,000 people, with approximately 19 resident physicians per 100,000 people.
- Florida needs approximately 3,350 more residency positions to meet the average national ratio of medical residents per 100,000 people according to Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
For more information about the UCF/HCA GME Consortium Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program, please visit gme.med.ucf.edu. Medical students interested in applying to the new program can apply directly through ERAS (ACGME ID 2201100077; NRMP Program Code 1587220C0) and can contact Annie Bravo-Garcia, OB-GYN program coordinator at Osceola Regional Medical Center, at Ann.BravoGarcia@hcahealthcare.com or 321- 697-1736 with any questions.