News

December 17, 2020By Physicians for a Healthy California CalMedForce

California continued to export hundreds of graduating medical students unable to secure a residency position in California. CalMedForce supports and expands California graduate medical education (GME) residency training programs. Physician residents are one critical solution to our state’s physician shortage since each resident conducts approximately 600 patient visits per year. In the FY 2020-21 application cycle, 122 residency programs requested over $96 million to support 541 resident positions. CalMedForce ultimately awarded $38.14 million to 101 GME programs, supporting 202 physician residents. 

The average payor mix for awardees was 80% Medi-Cal, dual eligible, indigent and uninsured. This cycle supported 65 new, 27 expanded and 110 existing medical residency positions across several specialties (52 family physicians, 45 pediatricians, 38 internal medicine, 34 OB/GYNs and 33 emergency physicians). 

Awardees have noted that CalMedForce enables their programs to: 

• Grow to full capacity
• Increase resident recruitment from underrepresented minority groups
• Enhance training and development for faculty and residents in cultural competency and implicit bias
• Cancel cuts to resident positions
• Purchase simulation lab equipment to ensure residents could safely practice common procedures during COVID-19

Learn more at CalMedForce.org or email CalMedForce@phcdocs.org to be added to our email list.