SMA Healthcare is pleased to announce that it is launching a new residency program to help address the critical need for psychiatrists in Central Florida. The residency has been slotted for 10 positions per year, for the first four years, and the first class will start July 1.
The newly accredited SMA Healthcare Psychiatric Residency Program is a four-year education and training program for medical school graduates to prepare them for work in the field of psychiatry. Upon receiving accreditation, SMA Healthcare interviewed and selected the inaugural class of residents.
Dr. Yusef Canaan, Chief Medical Officer, said that the program was started to deal with the ever-growing shortage of well-trained psychiatrists in the Central Florida community.
“Our goal will be to recruit and train psychiatrists to care for the growing population in Daytona Beach, and all of Central Florida,” said Dr. Canaan. “Mental health is now at the forefront of healthcare due to the growing needs of our population. The current demand is not being met, and healthcare institutions must rise to the occasion.”
During their training, they will spend time working in SMA programs. They will begin with crisis services in Volusia and Marion County and will also complete rotations in outpatient programs and primary across SMA’s six-county area. In addition to completing rotations within SMA Healthcare programs and services, the residents will complete rotations in Neurology and Family Medicine with HCA Florida Ocala Hospital.
“We are thrilled to welcome HCA Ocala as a partner in our residency program,” said Dr. Canaan. “We know this will be a mutually beneficial relationship and look forward to working alongside HCA’s team in the coming years,”
“As a teaching hospital, we provide residencies in a range of in-demand healthcare specialties to help ensure Florida has the doctors it needs to care for our growing population,” said Alan Keesee, chief executive officer, HCA Florida Ocala Hospital. “We look forward to welcoming the new SMA residents to continue their graduate medical education at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital.”
The process to become a residency program began in December 2023 for SMA Healthcare. In January 2024, SMA Healthcare was approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to move ahead as an accredited teaching institution.