BHS creating residency program for doctors
About 40% of physicians locally are within 10 years of retirement age.
The aging population of Western Pennsylvania has contributed to more patients needing medical care over the years as well, which could lead to a future gap in care in the coming years, according to Dr. Michael Fiorina, vice president of medical education at Butler Health System.
To combat the future potential of a physician shortage, BHS is starting a residency program for family medicine, which will bring future medical practitioners to the health system to get experience in the field and provide an extra set of hands.
“We already have a lack of physicians, and now we're going to have a mass exodus — we can either be proactive or reactive,” Fiorina said. “If we can attract high-quality physicians to this area for training ... if we can give them a good experience in this area, they're more likely to stay in this region and help with this lack of access.”
BHS recently hired Dr. Joseph Dougherty, a specialist in family and sports medicine, to be the founding program director of the Family Medicine Residency Program the system is developing. Dougherty said he hopes to see the first unit of eight residents begin by July 2023, starting a three-year program with eight residents per year.
Dougherty and Fiorina said the health system is in the process of obtaining certification to host a residency program. It needs to submit three applications — one to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, one to be certified for family medicine and one for osteopathic medicine — before the program officially can accept residents.Fiorina said the hospital is looking to hire additional medical staff who can work with residents, which is one of the areas BHS needs to build up to have all of its applications approved.“We're going to have the commitment of the different physicians that are on staff to take some time to teach,” Fiorina said.Family medicine as a practice can accommodate many aspects of health care needs, Dougherty said. So BHS investing in establishing a family medicine residency covers a variety of health needs that Butler County patients may seek.“Ninety percent of what ails patients can be taken care of by a primary care doctor,” Dougherty said. “They can deliver babies. They can help women who are pregnant. They can see kids, adults, adolescents, geriatrics, go into palladium and hospice care. So they really span the age range, and that is very crucial for communities like Butler and Butler County.”Fiorina said Butler Health System remaining an independent entity is important to administrators, and having a steady supply of staff will ensure it doesn't have to turn to other entities for help. “The board has accepted that if we want our health system to continue to perpetuate and continue to be independent, we need to make an investment into graduate medical education to get a string of physicians,” Fiorina said. “If a priority of our health system is to remain independent, this is one of the steps that will allow that to happen.”Fiorina also said studies have shown that implementation of residents at hospitals elevates the level of care patients receive. He said he knows from experience that the relationship between a resident and a full-time physician can improve both of their abilities.“When you're teaching something, it actually keeps you sharper,” Fiorina said. “I have seen first-year residents, which are often called interns, that I have been like 'holy smokes.' That's where I think it will increase the quality because I don't want to be shown up by a first-year intern.”
Once Butler Health System is certified to have a residency program, Dougherty said the next step will be promoting the availability of resident positions in Butler County. Like other organizations that promote the region, Fiorina said he wants to relay to people seeking residencies the positive aspects of living and working in Butler County.“If you come to Butler, you go 20 minutes, I'm on a canoe in the middle of Moraine State Park,” Dougherty said. “I go 30 minutes the other way, I'm sitting at PNC Park or in the Benedum. So people are looking at lifestyle choices.”Dougherty also said the program BHS is planning will give its residents a more realistic picture of what their hospital duties likely would look like in a future physician position.“Some residencies are more heavy on the inpatient; some are more heavy on the outpatient,” Dougherty said. “Our program is going to be unique where they actually spend 40% of of their time on the outpatient side because that's where they are going to spend the vast majority of time when they graduate.”Dougherty said he was obliged to join BHS when he heard the system was planning to start a residency program. He said the county has a lot for residents to learn in terms of community work, giving them experience to take their medical work to any setting in the country.“This is really Butler County's residency because our residents are going to be out in the community,” he said. “They're going to get a lot of their training in the hospital, but then when they're on the outpatient side; they're going to be out in the community, and eventually we'll have them do screenings in rural locations, so they learn how to practice not only in a small town setting, but also in rural settings as well. They are really going to be the complete package.”
