New residency program at EIRMC
Patients going to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls may see some new faces with their regular doctors. They are part of EIRMC’s new Internal Medicine Residency Program. This is important for the state of Idaho, which ranks 49th for doctors.
“The population’s growing, the population’s aging,” Dr. Douglas Whatmore, director of the new residency program. “The physician’s are aging and leaving the workforce and they’re just, we’re not going to be enough. In fact, we’re still faced with a crisis in the United States. We’re probably going to be at least 100,000 physicians short over the next five years.”
Facing a shortage, the hospital started a new Internal Medicine Residency Program. They received 900 applications, interviewed 230 people and accepted 10 residents. The residents have finished medical school, but need more experience before practicing on their own.
“I was looking for a place where I, number one, get to see a lot of different patients,” said Dr. Usman Khan, a resident in the program. “You know, different pathologies, different diseases. And that was one of the main things that attracted me here. Because EIRMC here, serves so many different like Montana, Wyoming, Eastern Idaho. You know, so a lot of people, a lot of different diseases.”
The residency program is a way for them to perfect skills such as interviewing patients and deciding the best treatment option for them. The program allows the residents to spend more time with patients than their regular physician may be able to. It’s also the chance to learn from the other doctors they work with.
“This is the time, if they ever are gonna make a mistake in their career, this is the time to do it,” Dr. Whatmore said. “Because there’s somebody watching them to make sure that mistake doesn’t get any further. And that’s how they learn.”
The residents chose to come to Idaho Falls to not only learn, but also to make a difference in a community that needs more doctors.
“Priorities always going to be to make sure we learn the right way, learn the right procedures, make connections,” Dr. Khan said. “And try to establish ourselves in this area so that after residency we can serve this area where there’s a dire need of physicians.”
The residency program started last week. They plan to add 10 more students next year and the year after that so there will be 30 residents in the program.
