Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services announced it had achieved accreditation for its Rural Family Medicine Residency Program by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education on July 8.
The Residency Program will accept four resident physicians per year into its three-year program, totaling 12 residents by 2023. With a focus on providing the highest quality care, delivered with compassion, RMCHCS’s Rural Family Medicine Program will include extensive training in caring for the region’s Native American communities.
Future resident recruitment and selection will occur through 2020 and into early 2021, with the first group of residents starting in the summer of 2021.
RMCHCS underwent a rigorous onsite review in Feb. 2020. During the visit, an accreditor from the ACGME spent a day on-site discussing the upcoming program curriculum, policies, and other features with the RMCHCS Family Medicine Residency faculty team. The program was granted full accreditation based on performance at this assessment and the strength of the program application.
“Accreditation by the ACGME is a testament to the hard work and planning the Graduate Medical Education and faculty teams have done over many years. We are thrilled by this approval to officially start the Residency Program in 2021,” Chief Medical Officer and Family Medicine Program Director, Dr. Val Wangler, said. “We look forward to training a new generation of physicians to care for our community and area Native American populations for years to come. I believe RMCHCS will provide a unique training opportunity and that our faculty team will inspire young physicians with their dedication and skill.”
RMCHCS continues to work closely with Gallup Indian Medical Center and other Indian Health Service sites on this collaborative program, as well as with partners throughout the state.
