A historic number of doctors are being trained now for the future of medicine at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center. There are 291 doctors training in Banner Good Samaritan’s eight medical residency and nine fellowship programs for the 2014-2015 academic training year as part of the hospital’s Graduate Medical Education (GME) program which is accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education.

“Training these physicians is an important investment in the quality health care for all Arizonans,” said Steve Narang, MD, Chief Executive Officer at Banner Good Samaritan. “Doctors are more inclined to practice medicine near to where they trained, so we’re obviously very pleased by the number of physicians who are training at Banner Good Samaritan.”

The GME program at Banner Good Samaritan is affiliated with the University of Arizona College of Medicine (UA-COM) and has been training physicians over the past 60 years. Recently, Banner and the University of Arizona Health Network (UAHN) in Tucson signed a Principles of Agreement document that is anticipated to lead to UAHN joining Banner Health and a 30 year affiliation commitment from Banner Health to support the UA-COMs in Tucson and Phoenix.

This affiliation will include the operation of academic medical centers connected to the COMs in both cities. Banner Good Samaritan will be established as the academic medical center in Phoenix, and UAHN – University and South campuses will continue serving in that role for the COM in Tucson. Third and Fourth year COM students in Tucson and Phoenix will rotate into clinical areas in Banner Health affiliated academic medical centers.

Much like the evolution of health care, the advancements in medical education are astounding, Narang said, adding that thanks to technology, today’s physician residents and fellows have a wealth of health information and training resources at their fingertips. From smartphones to simulation education, the digital age has transformed medical teaching, he added.

“While technology has most certainly changed the ways in which residents are taught, the core principles, values and standards that define academic medicine at Banner Good Samaritan remain constant,” Narang said. “Banner Good Samaritan’s superior teaching stems from the commitment by physician educators to the highest standards of patient safety and quality throughout the teaching process.”

Following is the list of Residency and Fellowship programs at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center:

Residency Programs:
· Family Medicine
· Internal Medicine
· Internal Medicine/Pediatrics
· Obstetrics & Gynecology
· Oral Maxillofacial Surgery
· Orthopedic Surgery
· Psychiatry
· Surgery

Fellowship Programs:
· Cardiology
· Interventional Cardiology
· Structural Cardiology
· Endocrinology
· Gastroenterology
· Geriatric Medicine
· Medical Toxicology
· Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine
· Sports Medicine