Valley Health System Emergency Medicine Program Receives Approval from ACGME
Emergency Medicine Resident Physicians to Begin in July 2020
The Valley Health System Emergency Medicine residency program was approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for 24 total resident slots.
Under the direction of program director Thomas Swoboda, MD, the first cohort of eight residents will begin in July 2020. They will rotate through Centennial Hills, Desert Springs, Henderson, Spring Valley and Summerlin hospitals in partnership with emergency medicine physicians.
The three-year program will feature training in five distinct, busy emergency departments with diverse patient populations and pathology. The development of excellence in emergent procedures and bedside ultrasound will be emphasized. The curriculum also contains a rural emergency department experience at Desert View Hospital in Pahrump, Nev.
“Training clinically excellent emergency physicians who will be leaders and patient advocates is the main goal for our program,” says Thomas Swoboda, MD, MS, Program Director of the Emergency Medicine residency. “Our program emphasizes the core values of honesty, kindness, and hard work to provide an efficient and supportive learning and teaching environment while maintaining excellence in patient care. We all understand that when patients come to the emergency department, they often did not choose to be there that day, nor were they able to choose their provider. Therefore, it is essential that our residents and faculty provide the best care to every patient they encounter every day.”
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“Emergency medicine physicians in southern Nevada need the skills to quickly evaluate, diagnose and treat a huge range of diseases and illnesses, from stroke and chest pain to respiratory issues, drug overdoses, psychiatric issues, appendicitis, blood clots, cancer, trauma and much more,” said Andrew Eisen, MD, Chief Academic Officer for The Valley Health System. “They need to work quickly and effectively with other clinicians to achieve the best outcomes for patients within a fast-paced environment where everyone has a specific responsibility. It takes a unique skill set and mindset to work as an ER physician, and we are excited to introduce this residency to attract and retain future physicians who will work in hospital-based and freestanding emergency departments.”
Other program highlights include:
Training
A mandatory senior-level, month-long rotation in rural emergency medicine will take place at Desert View Hospital in Pahrump, Nev. Residents will work alongside emergency medicine faculty in a rural access hospital with limited specialty services and resources.
Certification
All graduating residents will be eligible and prepared to take the qualifying and certifying exams to become board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine.
Research and Quality Improvement
Participating in scholarly research and developing leadership skills by participating in hospital committees and quality improvement programs.
Graduate Medical Education and The Valley Health System (VHS) Hospitals
“The Valley Health System has been involved in graduate medical education since 2006, when we began our program at Valley Hospital,” said Karla Perez, Regional Vice President of The Valley Health System and Northern Nevada Medical Center. “Along with a focus on primary care physicians, we’re adding residencies for in-demand specialists to meet our community’s needs. We currently have 90 residents and fellows in primary care, internal medicine, orthopedics, neurology, gastroenterology and pulmonary/critical care at Valley Hospital. Our VHS GME program began in July 2019, with 10 family medicine residents and 17 general surgery residents, with more programs planned for the future.”
Applicants for all residencies, including the Emergency Medicine program, must apply through the national ERAS application process.