“ None of this would be possible without the strong partnerships we have with hospitals, clinics and physicians across the state, the support of the Florida Legislature, and the hard work of our 325 faculty who, even as busy practitioners themselves, are dedicated to medical education and training the next generation of physicians.”
The FSU GME program has been on a fast-track for growth. Since July, the program assumed sponsorship of two fellowships through the Andrews Research & Education Foundation, which supports the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine in Gulf Breeze, and four physician residency programs at Ascension Sacred Heart hospitals, also in Northwest Florida. It has also added the family medicine residency program and family medicine OB / GYN fellowship at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, and most recently an OB / GYN residency in Cape Coral.
“ Many people think we just train residents, and fellows. We have a bigger mission. A bigger obligation,” said Bill Boyer, DHSc, associate dean for Graduate Medical Education and the Designated Institutional Official for all sponsored GME programs at the College of Medicine.“ Our GME program not only addresses workforce development, but we also focus on recruiting high-quality academic physicians into the community who want to teach and take care of patients.
“ We also assist our partners in identifying and expanding service lines and care— both tertiary and quaternary— all for the benefit of the residents of our state.”
The population of Florida and the physician shortage are growing at such a fast pace that they’ ve drawn the attention of the Florida Legislature. In March 2024, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law the " Live Healthy " legislative package. One key component of the legislation calls for the expansion of medical residency slots.
Bill Boyer, DHSc
“ Our GME programs fill all available slots each year,” Boyer said, noting that additional GME growth is anticipated as FSU Health continues to expand statewide. FSU Health is a transformational initiative launched by the university to improve health in Florida by leveraging FSU’ s cutting-edge research capabilities and educational programs to forge new partnerships with clinical care providers.”
Statistics show that physicians tend to stay in the region where they completed their residencies and fellowships, which is why FSU is focused on expanding its program in the state of Florida.
“ We are very proud that 72 % of our GME graduates this year stayed in the state,” Boyer said,“ with many choosing to continue to work with our health care partners.”
Each year, the College of Medicine graduates approximately 120 new physicians, many of whom enter residency programs within the state. With its latest graduating class, the college has more than 2,000 physician alumni, with more than 600 practicing or completing residencies within Florida, providing critical health care services.
All practicing physicians in the United States must successfully complete a residency program after graduating from medical school. Residencies, lasting three to seven years depending on specialty, are a crucial phase in the training of new physicians as they gain handson experience under the supervision of senior physicians. A fellowship is an optional, advanced and specialized training program that doctors pursue after residency.
8 FSUMED | MED. FSU. EDU