Bayhealth to Launch Residency Programs in 2021

Bayhealth is pleased to announce that it has begun the process to launch residency teaching programs for doctors who have recently graduated from medical school – called Graduate Medical Education (GME). The announcement is an exciting one for the community and health system, as this residency training program will assist in bringing more doctors to the area, enhance the culture of learning at Bayhealth, and foster improvements to patient care and the patient experience.

“Residency programs create the opportunity to provide more physicians to serve the community. Once the physicians have completed their residencies, there is a higher chance they will stay in the community where they trained, resulting in greater physician retention,” said Bayhealth President and CEO Terry Murphy, FACHE. “Developing the next generation of physicians to serve our communities is a priority for Bayhealth.”

Bayhealth Surgeon and GME Chair Assar Rather, MD, FACS, FASCRS; Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and GME Designated Institutional Official Gary Siegelman, MD; administrative leaders; and a group of more than 20 physicians have worked for the past year to establish the GME. A draft assessment and full implementation plan was developed and outlines a proposed start date of July 2021 for family medicine and internal medicine programs, with general surgery and emergency medicine to follow in subsequent years.

“Residency programs are a great way to recruit new physicians to the area and support growth within a hospital system,” said Dr. Rather. “I’m excited to assist Bayhealth in recruiting new physicians to care for the present and many future generations of central and southern Delaware to come.”

In an effort to broaden medical education offerings, Bayhealth is also partnering with area medical schools to host medical students for a portion of their Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) clinical rotations. Upon graduating medical school, these students may later apply for one of Bayhealth’s residency programs.

“This is truly an exciting time for Bayhealth as we look toward our future,” said Dr. Siegelman. “These medical education programs are an investment not only in Bayhealth’s future, but in southern Delaware’s communities as well.”

“This will be a great opportunity, and it will allow us to educate the physicians of the future to meet the needs of our community. I am excited to be a part of developing this program,” said Primary Care Physician, UME Committee Chair, and GME Committee Member Joseph F. Rubacky, III, DO, FAAFP.