Officials said six residents will be a part of the Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa (Calif.) Medical Center's accredited family medicine residency program once the program launches in July 2018, according to The Press Democrat.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education approved the three-year program in February. Officials initially began the accreditation process for the program — one of Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente's 13 residency programs in northern California — in 2010.
Patricia Hiserote, DO, co-director of the medical center's family residency program, said she expects the number of residents enrolled in the program to reach 18 by 2020.
Dr. Hiserote said she hopes the program will influence some of the residents to stay in Santa Rosa and help minimize the ongoing physician shortage in the area, according to the report.
She told The Press Democrat the reason for the shortage often comes down to finances. Medical students are increasingly choosing higher paying specialties that will provide more money so that they can pay off their medical school debt.