Opinions expressed by Digital Journal contributors are their own.
The shortage of doctors in the United States is reaching critical levels, with predictions indicating a worsening situation. By 2025, it’s estimated that the country will face a deficit of over 72,000 physicians.
Right now, about 83 million people in the U.S. live in areas where accessing healthcare professionals is either extremely challenging or impossible. Through Residents Medical, Dr. Michael Everest wants to address this pressing issue.
What’s Residents Medical? Think of it as a program tailored for medical school graduates seeking to secure placements in medical residency or pursue opportunities in medical fellowships. Through their program integration services, Residents Medical can help to address the unique needs of each candidate, and aid them in finding satisfactory placement in their long term residency and fellowship goals.
Unlike many other preparatory programs, Residents Medical focuses specifically on underrepresented and unsupported medical graduates. This includes students from smaller universities, those without adequate support, and graduates who have extenuating circumstances that limit their residency options.
“Our candidates often have unique circumstances that are not cohesive with the hectic residency application process. Whether they’re established families in a community already, or serve as caretakers for ailing parents, many of these graduates cannot easily upend their lives for residency,” Dr. Everest explains. “At Residents Medical, we pride ourselves on understanding each candidate’s situation, and utilizing our system based integration to help these candidates pursue cohesive opportunities.”
The primary objective is to bridge the opportunity gap rather than merely providing an advantage to already competitive candidates. In the highly selective landscape of U.S. residency programs, thousands of medical school graduates are turned down yearly.
“If a candidate graduated from a prestigious institution like Stanford School of Medicine, they would have a team of support behind them, including their dean and others, to assist them in securing their desired residency,” says Dr. Everest.
“However, for graduates from less well-known institutions, the support network may be lacking, and they might not receive the attention they deserve. This is where Residents Medical Group steps in. We fill the void and act as mentors with our pathway integration approach, not only guiding our students but also actively monitoring their progress during their training.” With Residents Medical, candidates can count on personalized care and attention not only in the application process, but also throughout their career.
Dr. Everest acknowledges the intricacies of the selection process, stating, “Finding individuals who genuinely care about service to humanity and who are willing to extend a helping hand can be a tough task.”
By helping more promising doctors secure residencies, Residents Medical is helping remedy the United States doctor shortage. However, it’s also making a life-changing difference for individuals in the field.
Dr. Everest shares a compelling story about a U.S. based student helped by the program. Residency programs had initially overlooked this particular student due to low test scores. Dr. Everest learned that a brain tumor caused the fourth-year performance drop she experienced in medical school.
Her performance normalized after having the tumor removed, but she was still having trouble securing a residency. Fortunately, Residents Medical was able to help. “By taking the time to understand her situation and advocate for her, we were able to convince the program to give her a chance,” Dr. Everest says.
“As a result, she got the opportunity to prove herself, and she excelled in her medical residency in internal medicine. It’s a testament to the power of perseverance and support, and it shows that sometimes all it takes is one person to believe in you and give you a chance to significantly impact your life and career.”
