By Patricia Rowe-King, MD
Held annually in March, Match Day represents both the conclusion of a demanding academic journey for medical students and the start of their next chapter. On this momentous day, graduates are paired with prestigious residency programs across the country where they begin hands-on training in their chosen medical specialty. This year, Broward Health was proud to welcome the largest-ever incoming Graduate Medical Education (GME) class, which included more than 130 talented residents and fellows, eager to start the 2024-2025 academic year.
New Residencies and Fellowships
In 2023, we offered 21 sought-after residency and fellowship programs, including a highly competitive orthopedic residency ranked as the sixth most viewed program in the 2022 American Medical Association’s residency and fellowship database. For the 2024-2025 academic year, Broward Health continues to broaden its scope of medical training, addressing critical areas of need in the healthcare system with the addition of new residency programs in physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, and an independent plastic surgery program. This year, we are also launching fellowship programs in hematology/oncology, hospice and palliative care, nephrology and infectious disease.
Looking ahead to next year, we are interested in developing programs in obstetrics and gynecology and various subspecialties within cardiology. We are proud to welcome these residents and fellows into our organization.
Funding and Resources
To support Broward Health’s GME programs, we partner with state legislators. State funding supports established programs, aids in the development of new ones, helps to train residents, provides for salaries and for new faculty, equipment and other resources necessary for a comprehensive educational experience. Thanks to these programs, we have been able to expand our GME programming.
Our system received 40 slots for residents through Florida’s Slots for Doctors program and will receive another 32 slots this year through the state’s Start Up Bonus Program.
New Facilities for Residents and Fellows
In July, we officially opened a more than 7,000 square foot facility for residents and fellows at Broward Health North. A second GME space will be located at Broward Health Medical Center and is projected to be completed in Spring 2025. The spaces include conference rooms, classrooms, libraries, resident lounges, SIM labs and offices designed to support both residents and faculty.
By offering these facilities, we hope to create a warm and collaborative space where residents can come together, learn from one another and refresh during their fast paced days.
Commitment to Excellence
Over the past five years, Broward Health has been engaged in an aggressive expansion of its GME categorical programs, which offer a complete pathway to board certification in specific specialties. Many of these newly developed programs, including those in internal medicine and emergency medicine, have celebrated the first graduating classes.
We take immense pride at Broward Health in the exceptional physicians who have completed these programs and who are now positively impacting healthcare in our community. Looking ahead, our focus continues to be on addressing physician shortages by developing additional programs to train doctors to meet these demands. We are committed to ensuring that our community has prompt and effective access to primary and specialized medical care.
Additionally, many of our graduates choose to continue their practice in Broward County and in the tri-county area after completing their residency. This trend highlights the success of our programs not only in producing skilled physicians but also in cultivating an environment that promotes long-term dedication to our community.
Looking Forward
Each year, we continue to expand and strengthen our programs to attract the best and brightest doctors to South Florida. Broward Health is focused on preparing the next generation of healthcare professionals to meet the evolving challenges of the medical field. With a strong pipeline of new residencies and fellowships, continued investments in facilities and a commitment to addressing physician shortages, Broward Health is well-positioned to make a lasting impact on South Florida’s healthcare landscape.
Dr. Patricia Rowe-King is a practicing pediatrician and serves as the Designated Institutional Official for Broward Health, supervising all residency and fellowship training programs. For more information on Broward Health’s GME program, visit www.BrowardHealth.org/GME.
