A joint effort between Osceola Regional Medical Center and the University of Central Florida’s College of Medicine is bringing more staff to the ER.
- Osceola Regional Medical Center and UCF partnership
- Puts more residents in the hospital's ER
- ORMC says there is a need
Abhishek Roka recently graduated from UCF’s medical school. He is now participating in a brand new Graduate Medical Education program.
Roka is from Nepal, a place he says does not have good healthcare.
“I chose emergency medicine because I wanted to make a difference,” Roka said.
Florida ranks 42nd out of 50 states when it comes to residency positions, meaning there is a shortage of spots. Just last year, Osceola Regional had no resident physicians in the ER. With this new program, they’ve gained seven.
Officials at the hospital said because Osceola County is one of the state’s most diverse and fastest growing counties, the demand at Osceola Regional’s Emergency Department is higher.
“There’s a need for health in Osceola,” said Dr. Jose Rubero, associate program director for the ER Residency Program. “There’s a need for our patient population to stay in Osceola. Before, there was an issue -- sometimes we had to transfer patients outside Osceola and patients were complaining.”
The addition of these resident physicians means more hands to care for patients. And for those who worry about being cared for by a resident physician, Rubero says they are supervised closely by a faculty member. In fact, there is one faculty per every three residents on staff.
And while Roka may not know what will come through the door next at the ER, one thing he knows for sure.
“I knew I just wanted to do something with my education that I could go back and help out,” said Roka.
A total of 21 ER trainees will participate over the course of this three-year program.