RESIDENTS AND FELLOWS ARE ESSENTIAL TO OUR HEALTH CARE TEAMS
Welcoming new UF College of Medicine housestaff
Each June, we begin orienting new residents and fellows to our hospitals and outpatient programs. Our UF College of Medicine Graduate Medical Education, or GME, office supports these “housestaff” for an average of three to seven years while they continue their education.
There are currently about 974 UF College of Medicine residents and fellows treating patients under the supervision of faculty physicians at UF Health Shands and UF Health Physicians. Residents begin work at a hospital after medical school graduation. Fellows are physicians who completed their residency and are pursuing additional education and specialization.
“We’re an academic health center and our mission includes the call to educate and train future generations of health care providers and leaders,” said Ed Jimenez, UF Health Shands CEO. “The residents and fellows are supervised by our faculty physicians and they practice side-by-side with our nurses and clinical staff. They are a vital part of our health care teams, dedicated to quality care and the patient experience.”
Jimenez added that patients benefit from UF Health’s team-based approach. Interdisciplinary collaboration and training among providers guarantee patients receive individualized, outstanding medical service, whether they receive routine care or are here for complicated surgical procedures or treatments.
Supported by our GME program, these new doctors also receive a stipend from the government. The GME team is responsible for housestaff and conducts orientation, manages complaints, offers free counseling and ensures housestaff have a positive and successful experience.
UF’s GME office is also responsible for evaluating and advancing housestaff education. The program is governed by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, or ACGME. Yearly self-evaluations and random site visits from the ACGME ensure it meets accreditation standards.
In December, Julia Close, M.D., became the UF College of Medicine associate dean of graduate medical education and the designated institutional official, or DIO, for UF Health’s GME programs in Gainesville.
She oversees the college’s 82 ACGME-accredited programs staffed by residents and fellows.
Close has been on the college faculty for 10 years, most recently as assistant chief of medical service for the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center. She is an associate professor of hematology/oncology and the former director of the UF Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Training Program.
“This is an exciting and challenging environment for medical education. In my role, I am a mentor and advocate for our housestaff,” Close said. “My role is to ensure our trainees are engaged in providing high-level quality care for the best patient experience. Our office serves as a liaison between our housestaff and clinical faculty and staff. I strive to be a great champion and resource for residents and fellows to support their best learning at UF Health.”
