State awards $30.5 million in primary care residency program funding The California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission awarded upwards of $30.5 million to support more than 175 primary care residency slots for the 2017 cycle of the Song Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Program. A record number of applications were received this year, in large part due to the additional physician workforce funding secured by the California Medical Association (CMA) through the state budget. In 2016, the California legislature passed a budget that committed $100 million over three years ($33 million each year) in health care workforce funding. Although Governor Brown proposed to eliminate these funds in his 2017-2018 budget, CMA fought to maintain this important funding, which is critical as we work to address California’s primary care physician shortage. Song Brown funding is available for existing primary care residency slots, existing Teaching Health Center slots, expansion slots within existing programs, and new primary care programs that will obtain accreditation within a year of the contract period. A robust and well-trained primary care workforce is essential to meeting the health care demands of all Californians. Training more physicians to meet the growing demands of an aging population with multiple chronic conditions remains one of CMA’s top priorities. California is experiencing a severe shortage of primary care physicians, particularly in the rural and Central Valley regions of the state. Our state has one of the lowest primary care physician to patient ratios in the nation. Some estimates show that California will need an additional 8,243 primary care physicians by 2030 – a 32 percent increase. Data shows that most physicians set down roots in the areas where they train and remain there after their training to care for their communities. Inadequate funding for residency programs exacerbates access problems—every year, hundreds of graduating medical students don't find a residency slot in California to continue their training, forcing talented young doctors who want to stay and practice in California to other states and communities. Click here to view a complete list of 2017 Song Brown awardees. February 5, 2018 CMA, General GME, Graduate Medical Education, Physician Workforce, Primary Care, Residents and Fellows, Song Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Program 0 0 Comment Read More »
State sees marked increase in applications for primary care residency program funding The California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development received a record number of applications for family medicine and primary care residency funding through the Song Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Program. For the 2017 application cycle, 77 applications were received, representing 103 residency slots. The increase is due in part to additional physician workforce funding secured by the California Medical Association (CMA) through the state budget. In 2016, the California legislature passed a budget that committed $100 million over three years ($33 million each year) in health care workforce funding. Although Governor Brown proposed to eliminate these funds in his 2017-2018 budget, CMA fought to maintain this important funding, which is critical as we work to address California’s primary care physician shortage. This funding is available for existing primary care residency slots, existing Teaching Health Center slots, expansion slots within existing programs, and new primary care programs that will obtain accreditation within a year of the contract period. The 77 applications received for primary care residency funding include: 48 family medicine residency programs (including 10 expansion slots and eight new programs) 14 internal medicine residency programs (including three expansion slots) 6 OB-GYN residency programs (including two new programs) 9 pediatric residency programs (including one expansion slot) A robust and well-trained primary care workforce is essential to meeting the health care demands of all Californians. Training more physicians to meet the growing demands of an aging population with multiple chronic conditions remains one of CMA’s top priorities. California is experiencing a severe shortage of primary care physicians, particularly in the rural and Central Valley regions of the state. Our state has one of the lowest primary care physician to patient ratios in the nation. Some estimates show that California will need an additional 8,243 primary care physicians by 2030 – a 32 percent increase. Data shows that most physicians set down roots in the areas where they train and remain there after their training to care for their communities. Inadequate funding for residency programs exacerbates access problems—every year, hundreds of graduating medical students don't find a residency slot in California to continue their training, forcing talented young doctors who want to stay and practice in California to other states and communities November 14, 2017 CMA, General Graduate Medical Education, Physician Workforce, Residents and Fellows 0 0 Comment Read More »
FSMB releases free online education modules for medical students and residents The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) has released a free online education module for medical students and residents who are interested in learning about the medical licensing process. The new module, "Understanding and Navigating the Medical Licensing Process," is designed to help medical students and residents familiarize themselves with the licensing process before they apply with their state medical board. This is the second module in a series of online educational offerings developed by the FSMB Workgroup on Education for Medical Regulation. The workgroup is currently working on future modules focused on the medical disciplinary process and dealing with physician health and impairment. Click here to access this module. October 19, 2017 General Licensure, Medical Board of California, Medical Students, Residents and Fellows 0 0 Comment Read More »
Medical students, residents and fellows invited to submit research abstracts and poster The California Medical Association (CMA) and Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations (NEPO) are hosting a joint annual poster session to showcase research by medical students, residents and fellows across California. All medical students, residents and fellows in the state are invited to submit abstracts for their original research, regardless of membership status. Students who serve marginalized and underserved populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Research categories include basic science, clinical research, clinical vignette, health policy, and social science research. Applicants may only submit one abstract with a 350 word limit, and must explain the relevance of their research to health policy. The deadline is August 14, 2017, at 11:59 p.m. PST. The poster session will take place Friday, October 20, 2017, in conjunction with the CMA House of Delegates and the NEPO Building Healthy Communities Summit, both being held at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. Poster session participants will receive complimentary registration to attend the NEPO Summit. For more information, see the poster session flyer. To be considered for the poster session, submit your abstract to Kerry Sakimoto, ksakimoto@cmanet.org. Not a Member? CMA membership for students, residents and fellows is subsidized in all counties, and in many areas is FREE. Join today at www.cmanet.org/join or call the CMA Member Resource Center at (800) 786-4262 for more information. July 24, 2017 CMA Residents and Fellows, Building Healthy Communities Summit, House of Delegates, Medical Students, NEPO 0 0 Comment Read More »
First annual HOD poster presentations a huge success The California Medical Association (CMA) hosted its first ever House of Delegates (HOD) poster session to showcase research by medical students, residents and fellows around the state. The winners were Alexandra Iacob, M.D., a pediatrics resident at Loma Linda University Medical Center, and Sahil Aggarwall, a second-year medical student from the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Iacob's research looked at the after-effects of non-fatal drowning to see if medical care could be improved and if policies could be developed to reduce the devastating effects "not only for the patient but for the entire family.” Her poster, which she was inspired to create after she and her team saw too many non-fatal drowning incidents in their pediatrics practice at Loma Linda, looked at data from 265 submersion incident reports in San Bernardino County between 2007 and 2014. Among the conclusions were that males are at increased risk and that the majority of injuries occurred when fencing was present. Dr. Iacob hopes to take this data and write a bill to be submitted to the state legislature requiring state data collection. She and her team are also entertaining other advocacy efforts to “improve health outcomes of our children…[but the] ultimate goal is to develop measures to prevent these terrible injuries.” Aggarwal presented research that looked at medical students’ attitudes toward reporting risky behaviors committed by doctors, nurses and classmates. “After doing some searching through research databases, I found that there is not a single study that characterizes medical students' attitudes toward reporting different provider types for the same behavior or error.” He surveyed 159 medical students at UC Irvine and found that medical students are more likely to approach and discuss a medical error or unethical behavior with a classmate or nurse rather than a doctor. “I think that reporting medical errors or unethical behaviors is vital to both the health and safety of patients," said Aggarwal, who believes that medical schools should implement patient safety curricula that alleviates student fears about reporting superiors, and that hospitals should be encouraged to create anonymous error-reporting systems to improve reporting rates. "I plan on continuing to encourage medical students to report these behaviors by working to incorporate a section in the UC Irvine first-year curriculum about medical error/unethical behavior reporting and its importance," he said. Both winning posters, as well as presentations from 20 other medical students and residents, were on display immediately outside the ballroom where the delegates met during the CMA annual meeting. The research was well received by all, and we hope that this will become a permanent fixture at future meetings and encourage more future physicians to take an active role within the association. “As a pediatric resident I have been involved with CMA since I moved to California," said Dr. Iacob. "I have seen CMA's advocacy efforts for patients through various meetings throughout the year. I thought this contest would be a wonderful platform to discuss the data we have been able to gather in our county and develop future plans.” A big thank you to the Academic Practice Forum for judging the contest and to the Medical Student Section and Resident and Fellow Section for reviewing the abstracts. To view the winning poster session abstracts, click here. November 4, 2016 Awards, CMA residents and Fellows, House of Delegates, Medical Students 0 0 Comment Read More »
Subject matter experts needed for primary care residency grant program The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), is seeking subject matter experts to join application review panels for the Song Brown Primary Care Residency Program. The program, which provides grant funding for primary care residency programs, is looking for variety of health care professionals, including physicians, residents and students. The California Medical Association (CMA), as part of a coalition of healthcare stakeholders, was able to secure $100 million in the FY 2016-17 California State Budget to support and expand primary care residency training and programs in medically underserved areas through the Song-Brown Workforce Training Program and targeted investment in teaching health centers. The funding will be appropriated over six years to create a reliable and continuous funding stream that primary care residency programs in California so desperately need. Advocating for additional funding for this program was a CMA priority and now that the funding has been appropriated, it is critical that physicians remain engaged in the process for awarding the funding. Each review panel is comprised of up to five individuals and panelists may be asked to review up to 15 applications. Applications to serve as a reviewer are accepted on an ongoing basis. For more information, click here. Contact: Tyfany Frazier, (916) 326-3754 or tyfany.frazier@oshpd.ca.gov. September 12, 2016 General Primary Care, Residents and Fellows, Physician Workforce 0 0 Comment Read More »
Call for abstracts: Medical students, residents and fellows invited to submit abstracts for first annual HOD poster presentation The California Medical Association (CMA) is hosting its first ever House of Delegates (HOD) poster session to showcase research by medical students, residents and fellows around the state on Saturday, October 15, 2016, during CMA’s annual meeting in Sacramento. Winners will be announced during the HOD General Assembly on Sunday, October 16. All medical students, residents or fellows who are members of CMA are invited to submit abstracts for their original research. Original research categories for the poster session include: Basic science, clinical research, health policy research and clinical vignette. The abstract deadline is September 3, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. PT (six weeks before the meeting). Not a member? Membership for students, residents and fellows is subsidized in all counties, and in many areas is free. Join today at www.cmanet.org/join or call CMA’s Member Service Center at (800) 786-4262 for more information. For more information on the poster session criteria, click here. Contact: Samantha Pellon, (916) 551-2887 or spellon@cmanet.org. August 16, 2016 CMA Medical Students, Research and Experimental Medicine, Residents and Fellows, House of Delegates 0 0 Comment Read More »
Song-Brown residency program grant cycle begins April 26 The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) will soon be accepting the next round of applications from California residency programs seeking grant funding for new or existing resident positions. The 2015-2016 California State Budget allocated $6 million to expand OSHPD's Song-Brown Program to create more residency slots in the state and to open the program to all primary care specialties (family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics-gynecology and pediatrics). The next application cycle will open on April 26, 2016. All accredited residency programs interested in applying for primary care residency funding, should visit the Song-Brown website for additional information. Applications are due June 3, 2016, by 3 p.m. The Song-Brown program is also seeking subject matter experts to join an application review panel for the granting process. The program is looking for variety of health care professionals, including residents and students. Providers may be asked to review up to 15 applications. The deadline to apply for the application review panel is July 15, 2016. For more information, click here. Contact: Typhany Frazier, (916) 326-3754 or tyfany.frazier@oshpd.ca.gov. April 12, 2016 General Residents and Fellows, Physician Workforce 0 0 Comment Read More »
National 'Match Day' largest on record, but many California students must study elsewhere The National Resident Matching Program announced today that the 2016 Match Day for graduating medical students was the largest on record, with 42,370 registered applicants and 30,750 positions filled. The number of United States medical school seniors grew by 221 to 18,668, and the number of available first-year positions rose to 27,860, which is 567 more than last year. "Match Day," an annual rite of passage for future physicians, is the system through which medical school students and graduates obtain residency positions in U.S. accredited training programs. Despite the high numbers of candidates matching with residency programs this year, hundreds of qualified California students must leave the state to study elsewhere due to a lack of funding for graduate medical training, highlighting the need to pass Senate Bill 22. “Each year, California is fortunate to have thousands of ambitious medical students apply for residencies across the state, eager to improve the health of their communities,” said Steven E. Larson, M.D., MPH, president of the California Medical Association. “Many of these physicians-in-training will one day be the backbone of health care in our state. But sadly, some will be forced to head elsewhere, since current funding levels are not high enough to ensure enough residency spots in California. The data tells us that if a medical student is forced to leave the state to complete his or her training, it is more likely they will stay and practice out of state, despite our desperate need for more physicians, particularly in primary care.” California has lost tens of millions of dollars in funding for primary care physician training. In 2016 alone, more than $40 million of funding for the training of California’s primary care physicians is expiring. To help combat a physician shortage in the state and protect patients’ access to care, the state legislature is currently considering SB 22, which would direct state funds to new and existing graduate medical education primary care physician residency positions and support training medical school faculty. “Solving California’s dire physician shortage is critical to the health care for all Californians,” said Senator Richard Roth, author of SB 22. “I introduced Senate Bill 22 to fund additional medical residency positions throughout our state’s medically underserved areas, especially in Inland Southern California and the Central Valley. Studies have shown that if we train tomorrow’s doctors in the areas that need them most, they are more likely to continue serving those areas, helping alleviate critical physician shortages and ensuring equal access to health care.” SB 22 has passed the Senate and is expected to be taken up by the Assembly Health Committee in June. March 31, 2016 General Match Day, Medical Students, Residents and Fellows, State Legislation, Graduate Medical Eduction 0 0 Comment Read More »
Song-Brown residency program grant cycle begins July 31 The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) will soon be accepting the next round of applications from California residency programs seeking grant funding for new or existing resident positions. The 2014-2015 California State Budget allocated $7 million to expand OSHPD's Song-Brown Program to create more residency slots in the state and to open the program to all primary care specialties (family medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics-gynecology and pediatrics). Thanks in large part to the advocacy of the California Medical Association, the budget also included $4 million in one-time funding earmarked for new primary care residency slots in order to allow training programs to expand capacity. Last year, the program for the first time funded internal medicine, obstetrics-gynecology and pediatric primary care programs—a total of 15 programs funded with more than $2 million. This year, the program will award grants totaling $3.5 million. The next application process will open on July 31, 2015. All accredited residency programs interested in applying for primary care residency funding should visit the Song-Brown website for additional information. Applications are due August 31, 2015, by 3 p.m. In addition, the Song-Brown program is also seeking subject matter experts to join an application review panel for the granting process. The program is looking for variety of health care professionals, including residents and students. Providers may be asked to review up to 15 applications. The deadline to apply is July 15, 2015. For more information or to apply for the application review panel, click here. Contact: Tyfany Frazier, (916) 326-3754 or tyfany.frazier@oshpd.ca.gov. July 14, 2015 General Residents and Fellows 0 0 Comment Read More »
