Since establishing its graduate medical education (GME) program in 2006, 252 physicians have completed their medical training at Valley Hospital through June 2019.

“Our residency programs focus both on the medical training and expertise of physicians and the residents’ introduction to the Southern Nevada medical community,” said Claude Wise, CEO of Valley Hospital. “In a continually growing region like ours, we need to attract and retain as many primary care physicians and specialists as possible. I believe their acceptance rate into various practices and fellowships speaks to the quality of our program through physician leadership, faculty and program design.”

Throughout its history, the Valley Hospital GME program has worked diligently to offer medical experiences and acquire expertise that would help new physicians join local private practices, establish their own businesses, enter fellowships, join a hospitalist group, or continue their training through military service.

That work has continued to pay dividends with an increasing number of physician choosing to work in Southern Nevada. As of June 2018, 60 percent of all graduates remained in the Las Vegas area.

 This includes all five family medicine residents, helping to fulfill the ongoing need for primary care practitioners. Three graduates are continuing their training with fellowships (advanced training) in gastroenterology and pulmonary / critical care at Valley Hospital.

Of the graduates who are leaving Nevada, many are pursuing out-of-state fellowships, including epilepsy and nephrology programs at the University of Southern California.

Additionally, the third class of orthopedic surgery residents maintains its 100 percent fellowship acceptance into spine surgery programs, with graduates heading to Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, CA, and Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, OR.

Welcoming a New Class
On June 27, 2019, Valley Hospital welcomed a new class of 24 physician residents and four fellows with a traditional White Coat Ceremony. The White Coat Ceremony is considered a rite of passage in the journey toward becoming a physician.  It marks the transition from the study of pre-clinical health sciences to clinical service, and the long white coats of a physician are officially presented.  The long white coat is the symbol of physician clinical service.

Currently, Valley Hospital offers residency programs in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology and Orthopedic Surgery, along with Fellowships in Gastroenterology and Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine.

Photo: Courtesy of Valley Hospital Medical Center – White Coat Ceremony.