UNIFIED THROUGH A HIGHER CALLING
The state of Florida is currently facing one of the largest physician shortages in the country. We are ranked 47th nationally, in terms of having an appropriate number of primary care physicians available to patients—a statistic that we here at AdventHealth are working diligently to improve. Through advanced training, supportive mentorship and state-of-the-art facilities, our physician residency program is filling the gap for our Central Florida community.
“I’ve been finding that as I do more in practice, I’m really enjoying obstetrics, treating women and children, and providing care for the geriatric population. My husband is also a resident, but in surgery. This is our home, so we plan to stay and practice here.” - Estralla Vega, MD
For more than 35 years, medical school graduates have come to AdventHealth to continue their clinical education through our comprehensive residency training program. The residents’ first year is spent at AdventHealth Orlando, where training focuses on high-acuity, highly technical, specialized medical care. Years two and three take place at Winter Park Memorial Hospital, focusing on promoting lifestyle modification, as well as early detection and management of chronic diseases.
The multidisciplinary program prepares our doctors to treat about 90 percent of the conditions present in our patients. Additionally, we help them develop the core tenant of family medicine—the physician-patient relationship—that is crucial to maintaining quality patient care. The curriculum is led by a welcoming host of experienced family and internal medicine physicians, pediatricians, geriatricians, psychologists, PharmDs and obstetricians. The immersive environment provides real-world education and thorough preparation, enabling young doctors to practice medicine in any community in the country.
The multidisciplinary program prepares our doctors to treat about 90 percent of the conditions present in our patients. Additionally, we help them develop the core tenant of family medicine - the physician-patient relationship.
Fortunately for our Central Florida population, many of the residents we train here at AdventHealth stay in and around the Orlando area to practice medicine. Each year, 12 to 16 physicians are admitted to the program from more than 1,500 applicants. In 2007, 15 of 16 physicians completing the program stayed in Central Florida; 2008 saw 13 of 15 stay; and in 2009, 12 of 14 stayed. Since its inception, nearly 250 of our residency graduates have remained in our community overall.
Florida’s famous climate and diverse lifestyle offerings make it enticing for anyone to live here, but for a doctor making the decision of where he or she will begin a medical career, the clinical opportunities must be here as well. Estrella Vega, MD, a 2010 graduate and 2011 geriatrics fellow, is one of the physicians planning to make Orlando home. “I’ve been finding that as I do more in practice, I’m really enjoying obstetrics, treating women and children, and providing care for the geriatric population. That’s why I chose family practice as my specialty. We’ll definitely be staying here. My husband is also a resident, but in surgery. This is our home, so we plan to stay and practice here.”
As AdventHealth continues to grow, Dr. Vega, her husband and many more physicians like them will continue to find opportunities to grow their own practices alongside the members of our community. We will continue to do our part—making health care more accessible to our Central Florida communities—by inviting quality doctors to invest in a future with a higher calling.
For additional information about our Residency Program, please click here.
