CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs welcomes 21 medical students from the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM) in Fort Smith who will become the hospital's first Graduate Medical Education (GME) residents in a new program to train the future physicians of Southwest Arkansas. The new medical education residency program, the product of a partnership between CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs and ARCOM announced in 2018, will transform primary care in the region in a way that promotes overall health and quality of life as well as help mitigate an anticipated shortage of healthcare professionals available to serve the state’s southwestern communities.

“We’re excited to welcome these bright minds and dedicated medical students to the Hot Springs community to share our mission of providing compassionate care throughout our region,” said CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs President Dr. Doug Ross. “We know these residents and our partners at ARCOM share that mission and this is an important moment for the future of Southwest Arkansas and the work to alleviate the health disparities that impact our communities.”

The 21 medical students will spend the next two years participating in the residency program, learning from CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs’ award-winning healthcare professionals and providing expert care for members of the community. The creation of the residency program also offers the dual benefit of making it easier for ARCOM to recruit and retain highly qualified medical students attracted to roles in primary care and community focused healthcare.

“These students, with their emphasis on patient-centered care and focus on service to the underserved, will find a gracious and welcoming community here in Southwest Arkansas,” said Dr. John Wayne Smith, director of the residency program at CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs. “The expertise and skills they are developing are also much needed here and in our surrounding communities where we know regular access to a primary care provider correlates highly with better health outcomes for patients.”

The partnership between CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs and ARCOM will continue to grow with plans to host two residency programs by 2021 in both Family Practice and Internal Medicine. The programs are part of a broader effort to address an anticipated shortage of physicians nationwide by 2030, particularly those focused on primary care. CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs also has similar partnerships with nursing programs at Henderson State University and National Park College as the hospital works

The partnership between CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs and ARCOM will continue to grow with plans to host two residency programs by 2021 in both Family Practice and Internal Medicine. The programs are part of a broader effort to address an anticipated shortage of physicians nationwide by 2030, particularly those focused on primary care. CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs also has similar partnerships with nursing programs at Henderson State University and National Park College as the hospital works to build healthier communities in Southwest Arkansas.