Naval Hospital (NH) Jacksonvilles award-winning Family Medicine Residency Program, now in its 46th year of continuous accreditation, graduated 27 physicians (14 interns and 13 residents) at a ceremony June 30 at the Officers Club aboard Naval Air Station Jacksonville.

The graduation also served as a kick-off to the programs new academic year, which begins July 1 with 45 residents and 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, obstetrics, pediatrics, general surgery, orthopedics, ophthalmology, urology, and dermatology.

To become board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), physicians must be licensed and successfully complete three years of residency training in a program (like NH Jacksonvilles) that's accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Additionally, physicians must meet all board requirements and pass the ABFM board certification exam.

°Our residents, interns and staff strive for excellence in patient care, leadership and scholarly activity, said Cmdr. Kristian Sanchack, NH Jacksonvilles medical residency program director. °These physicians provide full spectrum care for our active duty, retirees, and their families keeping them healthy, ready and on the job.

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 key areas of family medicine such as obstetrics, pediatrics, internal medicine, sports medicine, neurology, mental health, trauma, and intensive care. After completion of the residency, the residents become board certified family medicine physicians, assigned as staff providing care to active duty, retirees, and families across the globe.

NH Jacksonvilles Family Medicine Residency Program has earned the 2017, 2015 and 2014 Navy Outstanding Achievement in Scholarly Activity Award from the Uniformed Services Academy of Family Physicians, and 2013 Excellence in Teaching Award and 2011 Family Medicine Clinical Site of the Year Award from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Graduating physicians have also earned a 100 percent board certification pass rate for the past four years.

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), about 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 commands mobile app, visit www.med.navy.mil/sites/navalhospitaljax.



For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.

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