UAMS College of Medicine Internal Medicine Residency Program at Northwest Regional Campus Earns Full Accreditation
| June 20, 2018 | The Internal Medicine Residency Program at the Northwest Regional Campus of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), was recently awarded a full, 10-year accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
The residency program, launched in 2015, provides a three-year training period to recently graduated medical students prior to practicing medicine professionally. Internal medicine residents are focused on providing preventive and general medical care to adults 18 years old and older, much like a pediatrician provides care for children. The program is made possible due to a partnership with Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers and the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, where the residents practice alongside established physicians.
“This program and the partnership with Mercy are helping us to develop the future health care leaders for the people of Arkansas, and especially northwest Arkansas,” said Thomas Schulz, M.D., director of the program and associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. “The students who choose this program are exceptional and care deeply for this state and its people.”
The program is welcoming its third class of residents this month, bringing the program to capacity. More than 1,200 students applied for the eight open positions. Interviews were conducted with more than 60 applicants.. Graduates earn certification through the American Board of Internal Medicine.
“The volunteer community faculty are a key component to the success of this program,” said Schulz. “Partnerships with Mercy and the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks allow our residents to have superb learning opportunities and amazing mentors.”
The UAMS Internal Medicine Residency Program in northwest Arkansas receives financial support through the Mercy Health Foundation, the Walmart Foundation and the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a northwest Arkansas regional campus; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute, the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and the Translational Research Institute. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,870 students, 799 medical residents and six dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including about 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS and its regional campuses throughout the state, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.