Naval Hospital Jacksonville's award-winning Family Medicine Residency Program, now in its 45th year of continuous accreditation, graduated 20 new physicians during a ceremony at the Officers' Club at Naval Air Station Jacksonville June 30.

The graduates included 13 interns and seven residents, and the graduation also served as a kickoff to the program's new school year, which begins July 1 for 29 residents and 14 interns.

All program participants are physicians who have completed medical school. By the end of the first year, each has completed training rotations in primary and inpatient care, emergency medicine, general surgery, orthopedics, ophthalmology, urology, and dermatology.

To become board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine, physicians must successfully complete three years of residency training in a program that is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education -- such as NH Jacksonville's.

"One of the best experiences our graduates have had is being fully embedded in our Medical Home Port, which places patients at the center of our collaborative team of caregivers," said Cmdr. Kristian Sanchack, NH Jacksonville's medical residency program director. "Now it's time for the graduates to take what they've learned and apply it in the fleet, to the service members and families that are entrusted to our care."

Upon completion of the first year of study, some residents choose to go directly into the fleet to serve as general medical officers, flight surgeons, or undersea medical officers. Those who stay continue for two additional years of training in such areas as sports medicine, neurology, mental health, hospice, trauma, and intensive care. Third-year residents are assigned as staff family medicine physicians, providing care to active-duty personnel, retirees and families.

NH Jacksonville's Family Medicine Residency Program has earned the 2014 and 2015 Outstanding Achievement in Scholarly Activity Award from the Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians, and the 2013 Excellence in Teaching Award and 2011 Clinical Site of the Year by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

Celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year, NH Jacksonville's priority since its founding in 1941 is to heal the nation's heroes and their families. The command is comprised of the Navy's third largest hospital and five branch health clinics across Florida and Georgia. Of its patient population -- 163,000 active and retired Sailors, Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, Guardsmen, and their families -- almost 85,000 are enrolled with a primary care manager and Medical Home Port team at one of its facilities.

To find out more or download the command's mobile app, visit http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/navalhospitaljax.

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For more news from Naval Hospital Jacksonville, visit http://www.navy.mil/.