“We saw among the leaders and staff a dedication, warmth and compassion that you don’t see at other institutions. You do what we teach. You know how medicine should be practiced.”
– Benjamin Cohen, DO, provost and chief operating officer of Western University of Health Sciences, after a visit to SHS
The sentiment above was the starting point for an innovative partnership between Samaritan and Western University of Health Sciences that is resulting in the only current osteopathic residency programs in the state of Oregon. Residency is a stage of graduate medical education, during which a “resident” physician—who has already received a medical degree—practices medicine under the supervision of a fully-licensed physician.
The first osteopathic residency programs at Samaritan began in June 2009. For this first year, Samaritan has selected 11 highly qualified residents in the specialty areas of family practice, internal medicine and psychiatry. Orthopedic surgery will be added in 2010. Additional programs in development will bring the total number of physicians in training in the Samaritan system to more than 40 within three years. Each specialty program has been fully accredited by the American Osteopathic Association, one of two accrediting bodies for residency programs within the United States.
Osteopathic medical school and residency training focus extra attention on preventive health care and provide extra training in the musculoskeletal system, the body’s interconnected system of nerves, muscles and bones that makes up two-thirds of the body’s mass.
Samaritan's residents come from osteopathic medical schools across the U.S. and have
a variety of long-term goals, yet they share a commitment to remain in the Pacific Northwest to provide care in local communities.
“There is a strong link between where physicians do their training and where they end up practicing medicine, so we believe these steps will greatly strengthen our ability to recruit and retain outstanding physicians to the area,” said Samaritan Health Services President/CEO Larry A. Mullins.
The purpose of a residency program is to give new physicians in-depth training within a specific branch of medicine. This experience supplements the broader range of medical knowledge and basic clinical skills they have learned in medical school. After one year of residency, physicians are usually eligible to take a state license exam. Following a complete residency, physicians are eligible for board certification and membership in specialty colleges. Samaritan Health Services requires that all physicians on staff complete a residency and be either board certified or board eligible in their specialty area.
For more information about the Samaritan Health Services medical education programs, contact Alissa Craft, DO, MBA, Director of Medical Education, at (541) 768-4906 or medicaleducation@samhealth.org.